Breakdown of Der Autor korrigiert das Manuskript, welches viel Zeit kostet.
die Zeit
the time
viel
much / a lot
kosten
to cost
der Autor
the author
welcher
which (question word)
korrigieren
to correct
das Manuskript
the manuscript
Questions & Answers about Der Autor korrigiert das Manuskript, welches viel Zeit kostet.
Why use welches here instead of the standard relative pronoun das?
In written German, welcher, welche, and welches are often used to avoid repeating the same sound. Using the standard relative pronoun das would result in ... das Manuskript, das ..., which sounds repetitive. Substituting welches makes the sentence flow better and sounds more elevated.
What case is welches in this sentence, and why?
welches is in the nominative case. Even though it refers back to das Manuskript (which is the accusative direct object in the first clause), relative pronouns take their case from their role in their own clause. Here, the manuscript is the subject performing the action of costing time, so it must be nominative.
Can I use welches here to mean that the whole situation (the act of correcting) costs time?
Grammatically, welches refers strictly to the neuter noun das Manuskript. If you want to refer to the entire preceding clause as a whole concept (the fact that he is correcting it), you must use the pronoun was instead: ... , was viel Zeit kostet.
Is Zeit kosten a standard way to say something takes time?
Yes, while you can also say something needs time (Zeit brauchen), Zeit kosten is a very natural and common German phrase. It translates literally to 'costs time' and treats time exactly like a resource being spent.
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