Breakdown of Das Honorar wurde zuzüglich der Mehrwertsteuer berechnet.
werden
to be (passive auxiliary + past participle)
berechnen
to calculate
die Mehrwertsteuer
the value added tax
das Honorar
the fee (for professional services)
Questions & Answers about Das Honorar wurde zuzüglich der Mehrwertsteuer berechnet.
Why is it der Mehrwertsteuer if Steuer is a feminine noun?
The preposition zuzüglich (plus/adding) requires the genitive case. Since Mehrwertsteuer is feminine (die Steuer), its definite article changes to der in the genitive.
What is the difference between zuzüglich and simply using plus?
zuzüglich is a formal, commercial term commonly used on invoices, contracts, and business documents. While plus means the same thing and is understood, zuzüglich is the professional standard for financial calculations in German.
Why use wurde ... berechnet instead of war ... berechnet here?
Using wurde makes this a process passive (Vorgangspassiv) in the simple past, focusing on the actual event of the fee being calculated. If you used war, it would form a state passive (Zustandspassiv), which just describes the resulting state of the fee after the calculation was already finished.
How does the word Mehrwertsteuer break down?
It is a compound noun made of three parts: Mehr (more), Wert (value), and Steuer (tax). Together, it is the exact equivalent of the English term value added tax (VAT).