Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch.

to be

Breakdown of Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch.

• 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”).