die Kosten
costs
Amounts of money that have to be paid for something or that arise from an activity.
EXAMPLE
Die Kosten für die Reparatur sind höher als erwartet.
The costs of the repair are higher than expected.
die Kosten
costs
die Kosten
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Meanings
auf Kosten von
at the expense of
To the disadvantage of or at the expense of another person or thing.
EXAMPLE
Er macht seine Witze auf Kosten seiner Kollegen.
He makes his jokes at the expense of his colleagues.
auf seine Kosten kommen
to get one's money's worth
To experience or receive something that meets one's expectations and brings one enjoyment.
EXAMPLE
Bei diesem Fest kommen alle Musikliebhaber auf ihre Kosten.
At this festival, all music lovers get their money's worth.
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Kosten, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| plural | die Kosten |
|---|
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | – | die Kosten |
| accusative | – | die Kosten |
| dative | – | den Kosten |
| genitive | – | der Kosten |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Preposition für
For specific amounts of money, the phrase “Kosten für” (costs of/for) is often used with a thing or activity. The accusative follows “für” (for).
EXAMPLE
Wer übernimmt die Kosten für die Übernachtung?
Who is going to cover the costs of the overnight stay?
Fixed preposition
In the meaning “zum Nachteil von” (to the disadvantage of), “Kosten” (costs) is used in the fixed phrase “auf Kosten von” (at the expense of). It is followed by a person or thing; a genitive is also possible.
EXAMPLE
Sie wollte ihren Erfolg nicht auf Kosten anderer erreichen.
She did not want to achieve her success at the expense of others.
Der Ausbau ging auf Kosten der Umwelt.
The expansion came at the expense of the environment.
Fixed expression
In the expression “auf seine Kosten kommen” (to get one's money's worth), the possessive pronoun refers to the person who experiences or receives something and enjoys it. The expression is used with “kommen” (to come).
EXAMPLE
Ich hoffe, du bist beim Konzert gestern auf deine Kosten gekommen.
I hope you got your money's worth at the concert yesterday.
In real life
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