Learn Hardcore German: Die Werbung im Zentrum ist teuer. - The advertising in the center is expensive.

Werbung is feminine. Nouns ending in -ung are almost always feminine. In the nominative singular, the definite article is die, so Die Werbung is correct as the subject.

What exactly is im, and which case does im Zentrum use?

im is the contraction of in dem. The preposition in is a two-way preposition:

With location (no movement), it takes the dative: im Zentrum (in the center).
With movement into something, it takes the accusative: ins Zentrum (into the center), a contraction of in das.

In this sentence, it’s a location, so dative: im Zentrum.

Why is the verb ist in second position even though the subject phrase is long?

German main clauses are typically verb-second (V2). The entire subject phrase Die Werbung im Zentrum counts as one element in the first position, so the finite verb ist must be in second position: [Die Werbung im Zentrum] ist teuer.

Why doesn’t teuer have an ending (like teuere)?

Predicate adjectives (after verbs like sein, werden, bleiben) are not inflected: ist teuer. Adjective endings appear when the adjective directly modifies a noun (attributive position): die teure Werbung, die teure Innenstadt-Werbung.

Is Werbung countable? How do I say “an ad” in German?

Werbung is usually uncountable (a mass noun), referring to advertising in general. For a single ad, use:

die Anzeige (a print ad)
der Werbespot (a TV/radio spot)
das Plakat (a poster/billboard) You’ll rarely see the plural Werbungen in the “ads” sense; native speakers typically use the specific words above or phrases like Werbeanzeigen.

Can I drop the article and say Werbung im Zentrum ist teuer?

Yes. Without the article, the sentence reads more like a general statement (“Advertising in the center is expensive” in general). With die, it more naturally points to a specific set (“the advertising in the center” that we have in mind). Both are possible depending on context.

Does im Zentrum specifically mean “downtown/city center”?

Often yes. im Zentrum literally means “in the center,” and in everyday city contexts it’s understood as “in the city center/downtown.” If you want to be explicit, you can say im Stadtzentrum or in der Innenstadt. Note that Zentrum can also mean the center of other things (e.g., a shopping center, an event), so context matters.

What’s the difference between im Zentrum, im Stadtzentrum, and in der Innenstadt?

im Zentrum: general “in the center,” commonly taken as the city center.
im Stadtzentrum: explicitly “in the city center.”
in der Innenstadt: “in the inner city/downtown area,” often the most idiomatic for downtown in many cities. All are fine; nuance depends on local usage and desired precision.

Can I change the word order to emphasize location, e.g., Im Zentrum ist die Werbung teuer or Die Werbung ist im Zentrum teuer?

Yes:

Im Zentrum ist die Werbung teuer. Fronting the place emphasizes the location.
Die Werbung ist im Zentrum teuer. Here im Zentrum is an adverbial; this can imply a contrast (“It’s in the center that advertising is expensive”).
Die Werbung im Zentrum ist teuer. The original attaches the location to the noun phrase (“the advertising located in the center”). All are grammatical; choose based on focus.

What’s the plural of Zentrum?

die Zentren (irregular). Examples:

Singular dative: im Zentrum (in the center)
Plural dative: in den Zentren (in the centers)

How do I say “too expensive,” “very expensive,” or “cheap/inexpensive”?

“Too expensive”: zu teuer
“Very expensive”: sehr teuer
“Cheap/inexpensive”: billig (can imply low quality), günstig or preiswert (good value/affordable)

How do I pronounce the tricky parts in this sentence?

Werbung: W sounds like English “v”; -ung ends with a velar nasal [ng] (no hard g).
im: short “i,” like in “bit.”
Zentrum: Z is “ts,” so “TSentrum.”
teuer: eu is pronounced like “oy” in “boy” → “TOY-er” (roughly). German r varies by region; a standard approach is a soft uvular sound.

Why is it im Zentrum and not ins Zentrum here?

Because the sentence describes location, not movement. im (in + dative) is for being somewhere; ins (in + accusative) is for going into somewhere. Compare:

Wir sind im Zentrum. (We are in the center.)
Wir gehen ins Zentrum. (We’re going into the center.)

Why are Werbung and Zentrum capitalized, but teuer is not?

All nouns are capitalized in German: Werbung, Zentrum. Adjectives like teuer are lowercase unless they start a sentence or are part of a proper name. Die is capitalized here because it’s the first word of the sentence.

How would this look inside a subordinate clause, e.g., with dass?

In subordinate clauses, the finite verb goes to the end:

Ich denke, dass die Werbung im Zentrum teuer ist.
Es ist bekannt, dass die Werbung im Zentrum teuer ist.

Is a compound like Zentralwerbung a good way to say “advertising in the center”?

No. Zentralwerbung would be read as “centralized advertising,” not “advertising located in the city center.” Prefer:

Werbung im Zentrum
Werbung in der Innenstadt
Innenstadt-Werbung or Werbung im Stadtzentrum (context-dependent)