Langfristig senken wir die Kosten.

In the long term we reduce the costs.

Breakdown of Langfristig senken wir die Kosten.

• wir: we
• senken: to reduce
• langfristig: in the long term
• die Kosten: the costs

Questions & Answers about Langfristig senken wir die Kosten.

Why does the verb come before the subject after starting with Langfristig?

German main clauses follow the verb-second (V2) rule: exactly one element (here, the adverb Langfristig) can be placed first, and the finite verb must be second. That causes inversion of subject and verb: Langfristig senken wir … rather than Langfristig wir senken …. The “first” position counts by chunks, not words.

Can I place langfristig somewhere else?

Yes. All of these are correct, with slightly different emphasis:

• Wir senken die Kosten langfristig. (very common, neutral)
• Wir senken langfristig die Kosten. (also fine; mild focus on the timeframe)
• Langfristig senken wir die Kosten. (fronts the timeframe for emphasis or context) You can also use a phrase: Auf lange Sicht senken wir die Kosten.

Do I need a comma after an initial Langfristig?

No. A simple adverb at the start is not set off by a comma in German: Langfristig senken wir … (no comma).

What part of speech is langfristig here?

It’s an adverb modifying the whole statement. As an adjective it would inflect, e.g., eine langfristige Strategie. Adjectives and adverbs often share the same form in German.

Are there good synonyms for langfristig?

Common options:

• auf lange Sicht
• auf Dauer
• More formal: langfristig gesehen Opposites: kurzfristig, mittelfristig.

Why is it die Kosten with the definite article? Aren’t we talking generally?

German often uses the definite article with generic plural nouns, and die Kosten is a very common collocation. It can mean “the costs” in general, or specific costs from context. Both readings are possible.

Can I drop the article and say just Kosten?

Yes: Wir müssen Kosten senken is common in business-speak and sounds a bit more indefinite (“reduce some costs”). Die Kosten sounds slightly more concrete/established, but both are idiomatic.

What case is die Kosten in?

Accusative plural, the direct object of senken. Forms:

• Nominative: die Kosten
• Accusative: die Kosten
• Dative: den Kosten
• Genitive: der Kosten

What’s the difference between senken and sinken?

• senken is transitive (you lower something): Wir senken die Kosten.
• sinken is intransitive (something decreases by itself): Die Kosten sinken. Don’t use reflexive sich senken for prices/costs; that’s for physical lowering (e.g., a platform lowers itself).

Could I use reduzieren or verringern instead of senken?

Yes: Wir reduzieren/verringern die Kosten are fine. Nuance:

• senken is very idiomatic with costs/prices.
• reduzieren is general and common in formal/business contexts.
• verringern is also standard, slightly formal. Colloquial options include Kosten drücken (“push costs down”).

Why is Langfristig capitalized?

Only because it’s the first word in the sentence. Normally it’s lowercase: langfristig.

How is senken conjugated here, and what are the key forms?

• Present, 1st person plural: wir senken
• Simple past: wir senkten (mostly in writing)
• Perfect: wir haben die Kosten gesenkt
• Past participle: gesenkt

How do I express future meaning?

German often uses the present with a time adverb: Wir senken die Kosten langfristig can refer to the future. You can also use the future with werden: Wir werden die Kosten langfristig senken, which adds explicit futurity.

What happens in a subordinate clause?

The finite verb goes to the end: …, dass wir die Kosten langfristig senken. You can still move the adverb: …, dass wir langfristig die Kosten senken. Both are fine.

How do I negate this sentence properly?

• General negation: Wir senken die Kosten nicht. (We’re not lowering them at all.)
• Negating the timeframe: Wir senken die Kosten langfristig nicht. (Not in the long term—perhaps only short-term.) Fronted version: Langfristig senken wir die Kosten nicht.

Is Kosten always plural? What about singular?

Yes, Kosten is a plural-only noun for “costs.” The singular die Kost exists but means “fare/food” (as in Kost und Logis) and is unrelated here. Use plural agreement: Die Kosten sind …; sie steigen/sinken ….

Where is the most natural place for time adverbs like langfristig?

A common guideline (TEKAMOLO) puts time early among adverbials. In practice:

• Neutral: Wir senken die Kosten langfristig.
• Emphasized timeframe: Langfristig senken wir die Kosten. Both are idiomatic; choose based on what you want to highlight.