Breakdown of Die Verteidigung kostet den Anfänger viel Energie.
viel
much / a lot
kosten
to cost
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
die Energie
the energy
der Anfänger
the beginner
die Verteidigung
the defense
Questions & Answers about Die Verteidigung kostet den Anfänger viel Energie.
Why is den Anfänger in the accusative case here instead of the dative?
The verb kosten is special in German because it takes a double accusative. It requires two accusative objects: the person who has to expend something (den Anfänger) and the thing being expended (viel Energie). It does not take a dative object.
Why doesn't viel have an ending here, like viele Energie?
Energie is an uncountable noun in this context. When viel is used with uncountable or abstract nouns, it takes no ending. If it were a countable plural noun, you would use the inflected form, such as viele Fehler.
Since both den Anfänger and viel Energie are accusative, how do we know the word order?
When a verb takes two accusative objects, the general rule is that the person (den Anfänger) comes before the thing or abstract concept (viel Energie).
How can I easily remember the gender of Verteidigung?
Verteidigung is feminine (die). A very reliable rule in German is that all nouns ending in the suffix -ung are always feminine.
Learn Die Verteidigung kostet den Anfänger viel Energie 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