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Breakdown of Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch.
sein
to be
in
in
dem
the; (masculine or neuter, dative)
hoch
high
der Winter
the winter
die Nebenkosten
the utility cost
Questions & Answers about Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch.
Why is Im Winter used instead of In Winter?
- In German, in
- dem (the dative masculine article) contracts to im.
- Seasons usually take the dative after in when you mean “during” or “in the course of.”
- So in dem Winter → im Winter.
Which case is Winter in here, and why?
- Winter is in the dative case because the preposition in (when indicating time) governs the dative.
- You ask “When?” → im Winter.
Why is the verb sind in the second position in the sentence?
- German main clauses follow the “verb-second” (V2) rule: the finite verb must occupy slot 2.
- Since Im Winter is the first element, sind comes next, even before the subject.
Why is there no article before Nebenkosten?
- When you make a general statement about a plural noun, you can drop the article in German.
- Nebenkosten here is used in the general sense (“additional costs in winter are high”), so no article is needed.
Why is Nebenkosten always plural?
- The noun Kosten (“costs”) exists only in the plural in German—there is no singular “Kosten.”
- Since Nebenkosten is built on Kosten, it too is always plural.
What exactly does Nebenkosten mean?
- Neben = “side/ancillary,” Kosten = “costs.”
- It refers to additional recurring expenses (e.g. utilities, heating, water, garbage disposal) often in the context of rent.
Why is hoch not inflected here?
- hoch is used predicatively after the verb sein (“to be”).
- Predicate adjectives in German remain uninflected, so you simply say hoch, not hohe or hoher.
Why do we say Kosten sind hoch instead of Kosten sind teuer?
- Collocations in German favor hoch with Kosten (“costs are high”).
- teuer is used for items or prices (e.g. das Auto ist teuer, der Preis ist hoch), but with abstract Kosten you use hoch.
Could I also say Nebenkosten sind im Winter hoch? Is that correct?
- Yes, it’s grammatically correct.
- Both word orders are fine:
• Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch (emphasis on when)
• Nebenkosten sind im Winter hoch (neutral, simply states the fact).
What tense is this sentence in, and why is it appropriate here?
- It’s in the present tense (Präsens).
- German uses the present to express general truths or habitual facts (“In winter, additional costs are high”).
More from this lesson
der SchreibtischAuf dem Schreibtisch steht eine Lampe.die ZimmerpflanzeAuf meinem neuen Schreibtisch steht eine kleine Zimmerpflanze.Ich gieße die Zimmerpflanze täglich, damit ihre Blätter frisch bleiben.die Fernbedienungder FernseherDie Fernbedienung für den Fernseher funktioniert nicht, weil die Batterie leer ist.
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“How do German cases work?”
German has four grammatical cases: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), dative (indirect object), and genitive (possession). The case determines the form of articles and adjectives. For example, "the dog" is "der Hund" as a subject but "den Hund" as a direct object.
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