seitens

On the Part of (Seitens)

Level 5

seitens is a formal preposition used to attribute an action or stance to a specific party or side. It is common in business and legal contexts.

How It Works

The preposition seitens (or its synonym vonseiten) is a hallmark of Amtsdeutsch (administrative German). While everyday speech uses von, seitens is preferred in professional writing to sound objective and precise.

1. Grammatical Requirements:
It primarily governs the genitive case. This means masculine and neuter nouns must take the -(e)s ending.

  • seitens des Chefs (on the part of the boss)
  • seitens der Firma (on the part of the company)

2. The No-Article Plural Rule:
A critical exception occurs with plural nouns. If a plural noun is used without an article or an adjective (which would normally signal the genitive), the von + dative construction is used instead to ensure the case is clear.

  • seitens von Experten (on the part of experts)
  • seitens von Behörden (on the part of authorities)

3. Usage Nuance:
It is used specifically for 'sides' or 'parties' (people, institutions, groups). You cannot use it for natural forces or inanimate objects unless they are acting as a legal entity. For example, you wouldn't say 'seitens des Regens' (by the rain).

4. Distinction from 'seit':
Do not confuse seitens with the temporal preposition seit (since). seitens has no relation to time; it only describes origin or agency.

Examples (5)

  1. Es gab bisher keine offizielle Stellungnahme seitens der Regierung.

    There has been no official statement on the part of the government so far.

    Word by Word: It gave until-now no official statement on-the-part-of the government.

    Here, 'seitens' identifies the government as the party that has not yet spoken.

  2. Die Beschwerde wurde seitens des Kunden schriftlich eingereicht.

    The complaint was submitted in writing by the customer.

    Word by Word: The complaint was on-the-part-of the customer in-writing submitted.

    In this passive construction, 'seitens' specifies who initiated the complaint.

  3. Wir hoffen auf Unterstützung seitens unserer Partner.

    We hope for support from our partners.

    Word by Word: We hope on support on-the-part-of our partners.

    This shows 'seitens' used with a plural noun in the genitive case.

  4. Seitens von Firmen wurde Kritik an dem neuen Gesetz geäußert.

    Criticism of the new law was expressed on the part of companies.

    Word by Word: On-the-part-of of companies was criticism on the new law expressed.

    When a plural noun has no article or adjective to show the genitive case, 'von' + dative is used instead.

  5. Seitens des Managements besteht kein Interesse an diesem Projekt.

    On the part of the management, there is no interest in this project.

    Word by Word: On-the-part-of the management exists no interest in this project.

    Note the genitive ending '-s' on 'Managements' following the preposition.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the dative case instead of the genitive with articles.

    seitens dem Chef
    seitens des Chefs

    Because 'seitens' is a high-register formal word, using the dative (which is common in casual speech for other prepositions) creates a stylistic clash. Always use the genitive when an article is present.

  • Confusing 'seitens' with 'seit'.

    Ich arbeite hier seitens drei Jahren.
    Ich arbeite hier seit drei Jahren.

    'Seit' is used for time (since/for), while 'seitens' is used for parties/sides (on the part of).

  • Using a bare plural without 'von'.

    seitens Experten
    seitens von Experten

    If a plural noun has no article or adjective to clearly mark the genitive case, you usually use 'von' followed by the dative.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

seitensLevel 5On the Part of (Seitens)

Learn This First

To use 'seitens' correctly, you must be comfortable with the genitive case, including the specific article changes and the endings added to masculine and neuter nouns. Since 'seitens' is a formal preposition, familiarity with the general category of genitive prepositions is also essential.

Words in This Pattern

seitens