Genitive verb 'sich bedienen' (to make use of)

In its formal meaning sich bedienen means to make use of / to avail oneself of and takes a genitive object. This is distinct from the everyday reflexive sich bedienen (= to help oneself, e.g. at a buffet), which has no genitive object at all.

Pattern: sich bedienen + genitive.

• Sie bediente sich eines Tricks. - She made use of a trick.
• Der Redner bediente sich einer ausgefeilten Rhetorik. - The speaker made use of polished rhetoric.
• Man bediente sich aller verfügbaren Mittel. - They availed themselves of all available means.

Compare the non-genitive everyday use: Bedienen Sie sich! (Help yourself!).

Common mistakes:

• Adding von (wrong: sich von einem Trick bedienen; right: sich eines Tricks bedienen).
• Forgetting the reflexive pronoun, which is obligatory here.

'sich bedienen' (to make use of) takes a genitive object.

Formal 'to make use of'; the object is in the genitive.

'sich bedienen' (benutzen) verlangt den Genitiv.