Kosten Conjugation in German

kosten means “to cost” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 427 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You use it whenever you talk about costing five euros, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of kosten — every tense, every person, both participles and the infinitive — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.”

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: kosten
  • English: to cost
  • Verb type: Regular
  • Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
  • Pattern: weak
  • Separable: no
  • Participle I: kostend
  • Past participle (Partizip II): gekostet
  • Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)

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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read kosten in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.

Three things to remember about kosten

  1. It is regular: every form follows the ordinary weak pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
  2. The perfect tenses use haben: the perfect is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gekostet. The tables on this page give the participle in the uninflected form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
  3. Partizip I is kostend and Partizip II is gekostet: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because Partizip I appears in adjectival uses and Partizip II appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for kosten. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.

Present (Präsens)

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

The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Ich koste zu viel Geld jeden Tag.” — “I cost too much money every day.”

Preterite (Präteritum)

Person Form
ich kostete
du kostetest
er/sie/es kostete
wir kosteten
ihr kostetet
sie/Sie kosteten

The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. For example: “Du kostetest zu viel Geld gestern.” — “You cost too much money yesterday.”

Perfect (Perfekt)

Person Form
ich habe gekostet
du hast gekostet
er/sie/es hat gekostet
wir haben gekostet
ihr habt gekostet
sie/Sie haben gekostet

The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat zu viel Geld gekostet gestern.” — “He has cost too much money yesterday.”

Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)

Person Form
ich hatte gekostet
du hattest gekostet
er/sie/es hatte gekostet
wir hatten gekostet
ihr hattet gekostet
sie/Sie hatten gekostet

The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Wir hatten zu viel Geld gekostet vor der Party.” — “We had cost too much money before the party.”

Future (Futur I)

Person Form
ich werde kosten
du wirst kosten
er/sie/es wird kosten
wir werden kosten
ihr werdet kosten
sie/Sie werden kosten

The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Ich werde zu viel Geld kosten morgen.” — “I will cost too much money tomorrow.”

Future perfect (Futur II)

Person Form
ich werde gekostet haben
du wirst gekostet haben
er/sie/es wird gekostet haben
wir werden gekostet haben
ihr werdet gekostet haben
sie/Sie werden gekostet haben

The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst zu viel Geld gekostet haben bis morgen.” — “You will have cost too much money by tomorrow.”

Konjunktiv I

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

Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech and indirect quotation. For example: “Es ist wichtig, dass er koste zu viel Geld.” — “It is important that he cost too much money.”

Konjunktiv II

Person Form
ich kostete
du kostetest
er/sie/es kostete
wir kosteten
ihr kostetet
sie/Sie kosteten

Konjunktiv II is used for wishes, hypothetical situations and polite requests. It doubles as the conditional: there is no separate würde tense in the tables, and the periphrastic alternative with würde plus the infinitive is a way of expressing the same meaning, not a tense of its own. For example: “Ich kostete zu viel Geld eines Tages.” — “I would cost too much money one day.”

Conditional perfect

Person Form
ich hätte gekostet
du hättest gekostet
er/sie/es hätte gekostet
wir hätten gekostet
ihr hättet gekostet
sie/Sie hätten gekostet

The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte zu viel Geld gekostet gestern.” — “He would have cost too much money yesterday.”

Imperative

Person Form
du koste
wir kosten
ihr kostet
sie kosten

The imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Koste zu viel Geld!” — “Cost too much money!”

Present participle (Partizip I)

Form German
Present participle kostend

The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective and for describing an action in progress. For example, the participle kostend describes something that is costing. The present-tense sentence “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.” shows the same verb in action.

Past participle (Partizip II)

Form German
Past participle gekostet

The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe fünf Euro gekostet gestern.” — “I have cost five euros yesterday.”

Infinitive

Form German
Infinitive kosten

The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and in infinitive constructions. The infinitive kosten is the form you look up in a dictionary. In a sentence it appears after a modal verb or with zu, and in the future it follows werden, as in “Ich werde fünf Euro kosten morgen.” — “I will cost five euros tomorrow.”

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with kosten, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.

  1. “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.”
  2. “Du kostetest zu viel Geld gestern.” — “You cost too much money yesterday.”
  3. “Er hat einen Euro gekostet gestern.” — “He has cost one euro yesterday.”
  4. “Wir hatten fünf Euro gekostet vor der Party.” — “We had cost five euros before the party.”
  5. “Ich werde zu viel Geld kosten morgen.” — “I will cost too much money tomorrow.”
  6. “Du wirst einen Euro gekostet haben bis morgen.” — “You will have cost one euro by tomorrow.”
  7. “Es ist wichtig, dass er koste fünf Euro.” — “It is important that he cost five euros.”
  8. “Ich kostete zu viel Geld eines Tages.” — “I would cost too much money one day.”
  9. “Er hätte einen Euro gekostet gestern.” — “He would have cost one euro yesterday.”
  10. “Koste fünf Euro!” — “Cost five euros!”

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Ich kosten fünf Euro.”

✓ Right: “Ich koste fünf Euro.”

The infinitive kosten never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form koste.

2. Using the wrong person’s form

✗ Wrong: “Ich kosten fünf Euro.”

✓ Right: “Ich koste fünf Euro.”

kosten is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with koste.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Ich koste fünf Euro gestern.”

✓ Right: “Ich habe fünf Euro gekostet gestern.”

The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gekostet, not the present.

4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

✗ Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich koste fünf Euro.”

✓ Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich koste fünf Euro.”

After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use koste here, not the indicative koste.

5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt

✗ Wrong: “Ich bin gekostet fünf Euro.”

✓ Right: “habe gekostet fünf Euro.”

The Perfekt of kosten is formed with haben plus the past participle gekostet: the ich form is habe gekostet. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.

6. Using the preterite for a daily habit

✗ Wrong: “Ich kostete fünf Euro jeden Tag.”

✓ Right: “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.”

The preterite kostete describes a past action. For something you do every day, use the present koste.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on kosten. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. What is the ich form of kosten in the Present (Präsens)?

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

  2. What is the du form of kosten in the Preterite (Präteritum)?

    • A) kosteten
    • B) kostetet
    • C) kostetest
    • D) kostete

  3. What is the er/sie/es form of kosten in the Perfect (Perfekt)?

    • A) haben gekostet
    • B) hat gekostet
    • C) habe gekostet
    • D) hast gekostet

  4. What is the wir form of kosten in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?

    • A) hattest gekostet
    • B) hattet gekostet
    • C) hatten gekostet
    • D) hatte gekostet

  5. What is the du form of kosten in the Future (Futur I)?

    • A) werde kosten
    • B) wird kosten
    • C) werden kosten
    • D) wirst kosten

  6. What is the ich form of kosten in the Future perfect (Futur II)?

    • A) werden gekostet haben
    • B) werde gekostet haben
    • C) wirst gekostet haben
    • D) wird gekostet haben

  7. What is the er/sie/es form of kosten in the Konjunktiv I?

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

  8. What is the ich form of kosten in the Konjunktiv II?

    • A) kostetet
    • B) kostete
    • C) kostetest
    • D) kosteten

  9. What is the present participle (Partizip I) of kosten?

    • A) kostend
    • B) gewinnend
    • C) verlierend
    • D) beginnend

  10. What does kosten mean in English?

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

Answer key

  1. C) koste — the ich form of kosten in the Present (Präsens) is koste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) kostetest — the du form of kosten in the Preterite (Präteritum) is kostetest. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. B) hat gekostet — the er/sie/es form of kosten in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gekostet. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. C) hatten gekostet — the wir form of kosten in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gekostet. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. D) wirst kosten — the du form of kosten in the Future (Futur I) is wirst kosten. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. B) werde gekostet haben — the ich form of kosten in the Future perfect (Futur II) is werde gekostet haben. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. C) koste — the er/sie/es form of kosten in the Konjunktiv I is koste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. B) kostete — the ich form of kosten in the Konjunktiv II is kostete. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. A) kostend — the present participle (Partizip I) of kosten is kostend. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. A) to cost — kosten means “to cost” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does kosten mean in English?

kosten means “to cost”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.

Is kosten regular or irregular?

kosten is regular: it follows the ordinary weak pattern in every tense. Partizip I is kostend and Partizip II is gekostet.

What are the participles of kosten?

Partizip I is kostend — use it as an adjective. Partizip II is gekostet — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gekostet.

Which auxiliary does kosten take in the Perfekt?

kosten takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gekostet. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gekostet.

How do I say “I cost” in German?

Say “Ich koste fünf Euro jeden Tag.” — “I cost five euros every day.” The ich form of the present is koste, and it is the form you will use most often.

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