Breakdown of Hij wil eeuwig jong blijven, koste wat het kost.
hij
he / it (referring to a 'de'-word)
jong
young
willen
to want
het
it
Questions & Answers about Hij wil eeuwig jong blijven, koste wat het kost.
Why is there an extra 'e' on koste in the phrase koste wat het kost?
Koste is the present subjunctive form of the verb kosten. While the subjunctive is rarely used in modern Dutch grammar, it survives in certain fixed expressions. It translates roughly to "may it cost" or "let it cost," making the full phrase literally mean "may it cost what it costs" (at any cost).
Is the second kost in the phrase also in the subjunctive form?
No, the second kost is just the regular present tense. The expression breaks down into two clauses: koste (subjunctive: may it cost) wat (what) het (it) kost (regular present tense: costs).
Why doesn't eeuwig get an -e ending here?
Because it is functioning as an adverb, not an adjective. It modifies the adjective jong (meaning eternally young), rather than directly modifying a noun. In Dutch, adverbs never get an -e ending.
Can koste wat het kost be placed in the middle of the sentence instead of at the end?
Yes, you can treat it like a standard adverbial phrase and put it in the middle field: Hij wil koste wat het kost eeuwig jong blijven. Placing it at the very end after a comma, as in this sentence, gives it extra dramatic emphasis.