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Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch.

Im Winter sind Nebenkosten hoch.
In winter utility costs are high.
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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”).