Learn Hardcore German: Zeit ist kostbar.

In German, when you speak about something in an abstract or general sense—especially uncountable concepts like time—you typically omit the article. Here Zeit stands for “time” in general, so no definite or indefinite article appears.

Why doesn’t kostbar have an adjective ending here?

Because kostbar is used predicatively (after the linking verb ist). Predicative adjectives in German remain uninflected. If you used it attributively (directly before a noun), you would add an ending, e.g. kostbare Zeit.

What part of speech is kostbar, and what does it mean?

kostbar is an adjective meaning “precious,” “valuable,” or “priceless.” In this sentence, it describes Zeit via the verb ist.

How is kostbar different from wertvoll?

Both adjectives mean “valuable,” but wertvoll is more neutral and common in everyday language. kostbar often carries a slightly more poetic, emotional, or emphatic nuance (“precious”).

Can you use teuer instead of kostbar here?

No, not in the same sense. teuer means “expensive” (indicating a high price). kostbar means “precious” or “valuable” in a broader or emotional sense, not necessarily tied to cost.

Could you turn this into a question by reordering the words?

Yes. Asking “Is time precious?” becomes Ist Zeit kostbar? Note that the verb moves to first position in a yes/no question, per German word-order rules.

How would you express “Time is not precious” in German?

You insert nicht before the adjective: Zeit ist nicht kostbar. This negates the predicate adjective.