Word
Ein Pfund Äpfel kostet zwei Euro.
Meaning
A pound of apples costs two euros.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Ein Pfund Äpfel kostet zwei Euro.
zwei
two
der Apfel
the apple
der Euro
the euro
kosten
to cost
Questions & Answers about Ein Pfund Äpfel kostet zwei Euro.
Why is it ein Pfund Äpfel and not something like ein Pfund von Äpfeln?
In German, quantities and measures are very often followed directly by the noun, without von.
So ein Pfund Äpfel is the normal way to say a pound of apples.
This is the same pattern as:
- ein Kilo Kartoffeln = a kilo of potatoes
- eine Tasse Kaffee = a cup of coffee
- eine Flasche Wasser = a bottle of water
You may sometimes hear von in certain contexts, but for a basic measure expression like this, ein Pfund Äpfel is the standard phrasing.
Why is kostet singular when Äpfel is plural?
Because the grammatical subject is ein Pfund, not Äpfel.
German verbs agree with the subject, and here ein Pfund is singular, so the verb is singular:
- Ein Pfund Äpfel kostet ...
- Zwei Pfund Äpfel kosten ...
Even though the apples themselves are plural, the sentence is really talking about one pound as a single amount.
What case is Äpfel in here?