kostet

Kostet is the third-person singular present tense form of the German verb kosten, meaning “to cost” or “to be priced at.” It is used when the subject is singular and refers to the price of a thing or the amount of time, effort, or other resources required.

Conjugation and usage: The standard present tense forms are ich koste, du kostest, er kostet, wir kosten, ihr kostet, sie kosten. Kostet appears in sentences such as “Was kostet das?” (“What does that cost?”) and “Der Kaffee kostet drei Euro.” (“The coffee costs three euros.”) It can also describe non-monetary costs, for example “Es kostet Zeit” (“It costs time”) or “Es kostet viel Geld” (“It costs a lot of money”).

Kostet versus Kosten: Kosten is the related noun meaning “costs” or “expenses.” It is almost always used in the plural: “Die Kosten sind gestiegen.” The verb kosten (and its form kostet) refers to the price of a specific item or to costs in general, while Kosten as a noun refers to the overall or itemized expenses.

Usage notes: kostet can be used with concrete prices, as well as with abstract notions of cost or effort. Phrases such as “Es kostet nichts” (“It costs nothing”) and “Es kostet Zeit” (“It costs time”) are common. The word is widely used in everyday language, commerce, and media, and it appears in questions, statements, and comparisons involving price or value.

Etymology and related forms: The verb kosten comes from Germanic roots and belongs to a common class of verbs denoting price or value. Related terms include kostbar (valuable), kostspielig (expensive), and Kosten (costs/expenses, as a noun).