Breakdown of Wir berechnen den Preis zuzüglich der Versandkosten.
wir
we
der Preis
the price
berechnen
to calculate
zuzüglich
plus
die Versandkosten
the shipping costs
Questions & Answers about Wir berechnen den Preis zuzüglich der Versandkosten.
Why do we use the article der before Versandkosten if it is a plural noun?
This is the genitive plural form. The preposition zuzüglich (plus / adding on) strictly requires the genitive case. Because Versandkosten (shipping costs) is plural, its definite article in the genitive case is der.
Is zuzüglich the standard word for "plus" in everyday German?
No, it is a highly formal word primarily used in commercial, legal, and administrative contexts, such as on invoices or contracts. In everyday conversation, you would simply use plus or mit (for example, Der Preis plus Versandkosten).
What is the exact opposite of zuzüglich if we wanted to subtract a cost instead?
The direct opposite is the preposition abzüglich (minus / deducting), which belongs to the same formal group and also takes the genitive case. If you were deducting a discount instead of adding shipping, it would be: Wir berechnen den Preis abzüglich des Rabatts.
I've heard that formal genitive prepositions sometimes take the dative case. Would that happen here?
Not in this specific sentence. You will sometimes see prepositions like zuzüglich used with the dative, but usually only when there is no article or ending to clearly mark the genitive (for example, with bare numbers: zuzüglich 5 Euro). Because our sentence includes the definite article, the genitive der Versandkosten is required.
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