German Grammar Explained /
Genitive with names
As we have already seen, when forming the genitive with proper names, it's pretty straight forward. All you have to do is add an -s:
Wo sind Annas Bücher?
Where are Anna's books?
Das ist Andis Auto.
This is Andi's car.
So it's a bit like English, just without the apostrophe. That's easy.
Exactly! However, there are some cases where the apostrophe has to be used.
I knew there was a catch...
Names that end in -s, -ss, -ß, -tz, -z, -x are treated differently. Instead of adding an s, we use the apostrophe to drop it.
Ich war mit Fritz' Familie im Urlaub.
I was on holiday with Fritz' family.
Ines' Kleid ist blau.
Ines' dress is blue.
Hast du Felix' Rucksack gesehen?
Have you seen Felix' rucksack?
Okay, that really is like English.
Genau!