Breakdown of Wegen der Steuer steigen die Preise immer.
immer
always
der Preis
the price
wegen
because of
die Steuer
the tax
steigen
to rise (go up, increase)
Questions & Answers about Wegen der Steuer steigen die Preise immer.
Why is it der Steuer if the word for tax is feminine (die Steuer)?
The preposition wegen (because of) requires the genitive case. In the genitive case, the feminine definite article die changes to der.
I've heard that Germans often use the dative case with wegen in spoken language. How would that change this sentence?
Why does the verb steigen come before the subject die Preise?
This is due to the verb-second (V2) rule. The phrase Wegen der Steuer takes up the entire first position in the sentence. The verb steigen must stay in the second position, which pushes the subject die Preise to the third position, directly after the verb.
Could I use the verb erhöhen instead of steigen to say the prices are rising?
Not with this exact sentence structure. Steigen means 'to rise' (the prices go up on their own). Erhöhen means 'to raise', so you would need to specify who is causing the action, for example: 'Die Regierung erhöht die Preise' (The government raises the prices).
Learn Wegen der Steuer steigen die Preise immer and more in German
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free