El mantenimiento anual del acuario viene a costar dos millones de dólares.

Questions & Answers about El mantenimiento anual del acuario viene a costar dos millones de dólares.

How does viene a costar change the meaning compared to just saying cuesta?
Using the structure venir a + infinitive (like viene a costar) adds a sense of approximation or final calculation. While cuesta simply means "it costs," viene a costar translates more like "it comes out to roughly" or "it ends up costing."
Does viene in this sentence have anything to do with physical movement?
No, here venir has lost its literal meaning of physical movement. In this verbal periphrasis (a verb phrase acting as a single unit), venir a works purely to show an approximate result or a conclusion, similar to how we say "it comes to two million" in English.
Could I use llegar a costar instead of venir a costar here?
You could, but the nuance changes slightly. Llega a costar often implies reaching a peak or a surprising limit ("it costs up to"), whereas viene a costar is more about a rough average or a calculated total ("it works out to cost").
Why is there a de in dos millones de dólares?
In Spanish, when you use millón or millones followed by a noun, you must connect them with de. So it is always dos millones de dólares (two millions of dollars). You don't do this with hundreds or thousands, which is why it would just be dos mil dólares without the de.

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