Prices with kosten; quantities take no von
Ask a price with Wie viel kostet…? / Was kostet…? and answer with Es kostet … Euro. German quantity words take NO preposition before the item, unlike English "a kilo OF apples": ein Kilo Äpfel, zweihundert Gramm Käse, eine Packung Kekse, eine Flasche Wasser, ein Stück Kuchen. kosten always has the THING/price as its subject, never a person — Das Buch kostet zehn Euro, never ich koste.
Learn shop and service buildings with genders
Learn shops and public-service buildings WITH the article: der Supermarkt, die Bäckerei (bakery), die Metzgerei (butcher's), die Drogerie (toiletries — NOT medicine, that is die Apotheke), die Post, die Bank, das Fundbüro (lost property), die Touristeninformation. Set phrases: eine Briefmarke kaufen, ein Paket schicken, Geld wechseln / abheben / einzahlen, ein Konto eröffnen. Full table in the note.
kaufen vs verkaufen vs bezahlen vs kosten
Four look-alike verbs describe one transaction from different angles — keep the roles apart:
Only kaufen and bezahlen take ich; kosten has the thing.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
die Kasse (till) confused with der Käse
die Kasse (checkout/till) is named by examiners as an unfamiliar word that sank a whole reading item, and it is easy to confuse with der Käse (cheese) — a different word:
Use the context (paying, a queue, a receipt) to confirm it is the till, not the dairy product.
Single unfamiliar words sink individual Reading items every sitting, including Kasse (w23 22 Q1)
Not knowing das Fundbüro (lost property)
das Fundbüro (lost-property office) is unfamiliar vocabulary that examiners saw block full marks on a Writing task about a lost item. Without it, candidates cannot say WHERE they went:
Learn it alongside die Post, die Bank and das Rathaus as a set.
Task-vocabulary confusions blocking Task Completion — Fundbüro unfamiliar (w22 42 Q1)
Drogerie (toiletries) confused with Apotheke
die Drogerie (toiletries, cosmetics — soap, shampoo) and die Seife (soap) are named by examiners as unfamiliar words that sank a reading item. A Drogerie is NOT die Apotheke (a pharmacy for medicine) — mixing them gives the wrong shop:
Single unfamiliar words sink individual Reading items every sitting, including Drogerie/Seife (s22 22 Q2)
Adding ge- to the bezahlen participle
Verbs with the inseparable prefix be- (and ver-) never add ge- in the past participle, and the weak ending stays -t:
Contrast a plain weak verb, which DOES take ge-: schicken → geschickt.
(general FL trap)
Making a person the subject of kosten
kosten takes the THING or price as its subject, never a person — you cannot copy the English "I paid…" pattern onto it:
kosten is the price's verb, bezahlen the buyer's — do not swap them.
(general FL trap)
Inserting "von" into a quantity phrase
Because English links a quantity to the item with a preposition ("a kilo OF apples"), learners insert an unnecessary von into German:
von + dative IS needed elsewhere (e.g. possession), which is why learners over-apply it here.
Check the number, its unit and its verb
Note the exact number AND its unit (Euro, Kilo, Gramm) — "zwei Kilo" and "zwei Euro" differ — then check the VERB attached to it. The same figure can attach to different actions: candidates picked the right number but the wrong action, confusing "saved" with "earned".
Match the building to the errand
Tasks name an errand and expect the right building: stamps or a parcel → die Post; money or an account → die Bank; a lost item → das Fundbüro; medicine → die Apotheke. Learn each building with its errand, so an unfamiliar name can be placed from context.
Quantities take no von; kosten's subject
Two checks pay off in shopping writing: give a quantity + item with NO preposition (ein Kilo Äpfel, not ein Kilo von Äpfeln), and keep the THING as the subject of kosten (das Buch kostet…). Both are avoidable slips — build them into your final check.
Talking about shops, quantities, prices and public-service errands (post office, bank) is a frequent Reading, Listening and Writing topic in 0525 — it needs a good spread of shop vocabulary, the "no preposition" quantity pattern, and the four look-alike verbs kaufen/verkaufen/bezahlen/kosten used correctly.
Shops (learn each with its article):
Full notes, flashcards, Q&A and the topic quiz for every premium subject.
Premium plans are US$8.99/month or US$49.99/year — first month free.
Studying with a parent's blessing? Show them this.
