Questions & Answers about Nebenkosten sind oft hoch.
In German, when you make a general statement about a plural noun as a whole, you can omit the article. Here Nebenkosten stands for “all additional costs in general.” If you want to talk about specific costs you’ve already mentioned, you could add the definite article:
• Die Nebenkosten sind oft hoch.
Yes. That simply shifts your focus from a general rule to particular costs you and your listener know about. Both are correct:
• Nebenkosten sind oft hoch. (in general)
• Die Nebenkosten sind oft hoch. (these specific costs)
After a linking verb like sein, adjectives are used predicatively and remain uninflected. You only add endings when the adjective is attributive (directly before a noun). Compare:
• Predicative: Die Nebenkosten sind hoch.
• Attributive: hohe Nebenkosten (e.g., hohe Nebenkosten belasten viele Mieter).
In a simple German main clause, the finite verb occupies the second position (V2). Frequency adverbs like oft typically follow that verb. The order here is Subject – Verb – Adverb – Predicate:
• Nebenkosten (S) sind (V) oft (Adv) hoch (P).
Yes. If you start with oft, the verb must still be in second position, so the subject follows it:
• Oft sind Nebenkosten hoch.
This puts a bit more emphasis on how frequently the costs are high.