Kosten in the Present Tense in German

Introduction

Kosten means “to cost”, and this page covers exactly one thing: kosten in the present tense. The present is the tense German speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for kosten, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about kosten in the present. For example: “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of kosten exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Kosten in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
ich koste
du kostest
er/sie/es kostet
wir kosten
ihr kostet
sie/Sie kosten

Partizip I: kostend · Partizip II: gekostet

The present participle is kostend, which you use as an adjective. The past participle is gekostet, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe gekostet, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the Präsens is only one part of how kosten is used.

How the Präsens of kosten is formed

The present of kosten follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich koste, du kostest, er/sie/es kostet, wir kosten, ihr kostet, sie/Sie kosten. The wir and ihr forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the preterite and Konjunktiv II are built from the same family of forms, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. Partizip I kostend and Partizip II gekostet belong to the same family — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise kosten in every tense.

When to use the Präsens of kosten

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use kosten in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Costing five euros — the everyday use

Kosten is the verb for costing five euros. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.”

2. Costing too much money — a second everyday use

Kosten also covers costing too much money. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du kostest zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “You cost too much money every day.”

3. Costing one euro — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use kosten for costing one euro. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Er kostet einen Euro jeden Tag.” — “He costs one euro every day.”

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and kosten is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir kosten fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “We cost five euros every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. German often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with kosten in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Ihr kostet zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “You cost too much money every day.”

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the Präsens is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the Präsens sentences use words such as jeden Tag or gestern, while the preterite sentences belong to a story told in the past. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Ich kostete fünf Euro gestern.” — “I cost five euros yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Du kostest zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “You cost too much money every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Du kostetest zu viel Geld gestern.” — “You cost too much money yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Wir kosten einen Euro jeden Tag.” — “We cost one euro every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Wir kosteten einen Euro gestern.” — “We cost one euro yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: kosten in the Präsens

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Ich koste zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “I cost too much money every day.”

  2. “Du kostest einen Euro jeden Tag.” — “You cost one euro every day.”

  3. “Er kostet fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “He costs five euros every day.”

  4. “Wir kosten zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “We cost too much money every day.”

  5. “Ihr kostet einen Euro jeden Tag.” — “You cost one euro every day.”

  6. “Sie kosten fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “They cost five euros every day.”

  7. “Ich koste zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “I cost too much money every day.”

  8. “Du kostest einen Euro jeden Tag.” — “You cost one euro every day.”

Common mistakes with kosten in the Präsens

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ich kosten fünf Euro.” Right: “Ich koste fünf Euro.” Why: The ich form is koste, not kosten. Kosten belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Wir kosten fünf Euro.” Right: “Wir kosten fünf Euro.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: kosten, not kosten. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Ich kosten fünf Euro.” (with the infinitive) Right: “Ich koste fünf Euro.” Why: The infinitive kosten never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form koste.

  • Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich koste fünf Euro.” Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich koste fünf Euro.” Why: After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use koste here, not the indicative koste.

Quiz: kosten in the Präsens

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Ich ______ zu viel Geld.”

  • (A) kostet
  • (B) kosten
  • (C) koste
  • (D) kostest

2. Complete the sentence: “Du ______ einen Euro.”

  • (A) koste
  • (B) kostet
  • (C) kosten
  • (D) kostest

3. Complete the sentence: “Er ______ fünf Euro.”

  • (A) kostest
  • (B) kosten
  • (C) kostet
  • (D) koste

4. Complete the sentence: “Wir ______ zu viel Geld.”

  • (A) kosten
  • (B) koste
  • (C) kostest
  • (D) kostet

5. Complete the sentence: “Ihr ______ einen Euro.”

  • (A) kostest
  • (B) kosten
  • (C) kostet
  • (D) koste

6. Complete the sentence: “Sie ______ fünf Euro.”

  • (A) kosten
  • (B) koste
  • (C) kostest
  • (D) kostet

7. What does kosten mean in English?

  • (A) to cost
  • (B) to win
  • (C) to lose
  • (D) to begin

8. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of kosten?

  • (A) verloren
  • (B) begonnen
  • (C) gekostet
  • (D) gewonnen

Answer key

  1. C) koste — The ich form is koste.
  2. D) kostest — The du form is kostest.
  3. C) kostet — The er/sie/es form is kostet.
  4. A) kosten — The wir form is kosten.
  5. C) kostet — The ihr form is kostet.
  6. A) kosten — The sie/Sie form is kosten.
  7. A) to cost — kosten means “to cost”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. C) gekostet — The past participle of kosten is gekostet; the Präsens is formed with haben + gekostet.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of kosten formed?

The present of kosten is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich koste, du kostest, er kostet, wir kosten, ihr kostet, sie kosten.

When do I use the present of kosten?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of kosten?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing. Compare “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” with “Ich kostete fünf Euro gestern.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it is told in a story.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for kosten, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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