Topic: German

"Diese Zeitung ist kostenlos."

Translation:This newspaper is free.

January 31, 2013

26 Comments

https://www.duolingo.com/nathanjohnson83

    I have seen 'gratis' used more than 'kostenlos.' Is this just in Austria or in Germany as well?

    January 31, 2013
    https://www.duolingo.com/christian
    Mod

      I'd say both words are used equally often.

      February 1, 2013
      https://www.duolingo.com/surfreak

        Just FYI, northern Switzerland also uses 'gratis' almost exclusively

        February 19, 2013
        https://www.duolingo.com/nathanjohnson83

          thanks interesting to hear how the words are used across different countries

          February 19, 2013
          https://www.duolingo.com/liminal

            Gratis is Latin it means 'given in kindness' the word 'free' suggests there is no cost to the giver anyway so it has a very different meaning really. I could go on that according to the laws of thermodynamics nothing is 'free' and its a stupid word anyway.

            April 10, 2013
            https://www.duolingo.com/Santi_Minstrel

              It is also gratis in Spanish!! =D

              May 1, 2013
              https://www.duolingo.com/zbianca

                And in Portuguese :D

                June 16, 2013
                https://www.duolingo.com/anca1234

                  And in Romanian :D

                  June 2, 2013
                  https://www.duolingo.com/jandresbar

                    And in Norwegian haha

                    August 1, 2013
                    https://www.duolingo.com/eauxement
                    Plus

                      And in Bulgarian :]

                      October 7, 2013
                      https://www.duolingo.com/CallMeAnja

                        And in Italian!

                        December 14, 2013
                        https://www.duolingo.com/Hakan_Ahmad

                          Indonesian is too, although it's derived from portuguese.

                          February 2, 2014
                          https://www.duolingo.com/4of92000

                            Huh. Very funny about the whole thermodynamics thing, btw. XD

                            May 6, 2013
                            https://www.duolingo.com/Voroshilov1917

                              "Costless" should have been accepted, I believe.

                              July 24, 2013
                              https://www.duolingo.com/eauxement
                              Plus

                                yup, it would not though

                                October 7, 2013
                                https://www.duolingo.com/guyhoschke

                                  Sorry, there is no such word in English.

                                  October 1, 2015
                                  https://www.duolingo.com/JosephOlstad

                                    I learned free as umsonst. Any significant difference with kostenlos?

                                    October 23, 2013
                                    https://www.duolingo.com/Amazoona

                                      Why not priceless? :(

                                      February 10, 2014
                                      https://www.duolingo.com/christian
                                      Mod

                                        That's a completely different word. The German for "priceless" is "unbezahlbar".

                                        February 10, 2014
                                        https://www.duolingo.com/Schorschi

                                          Priceless is something that is so expensive that it doesn't have a price tag. Quite the opposite of free/kostenlos.

                                          February 10, 2014
                                          https://www.duolingo.com/richardbk

                                            I seriously dislike the word kostenlos. I get the thing wrong every time. Can't seem to get a mental connection to the word free.

                                            April 4, 2014
                                            https://www.duolingo.com/Dragonaire

                                              Think "costless." It does not cost anything.

                                              May 7, 2014
                                              https://www.duolingo.com/Dragonaire

                                                I thought "diese" can mean "this" or "that"... If "diese" means "this", then how do you say "that".

                                                May 7, 2014
                                                https://www.duolingo.com/Schorschi

                                                  This - dies

                                                  That - jenes

                                                  These - diese

                                                  Those - jene

                                                  May 7, 2014
                                                  https://www.duolingo.com/christian
                                                  Mod

                                                    See hutcho66's comment.

                                                    May 7, 2014
                                                    https://www.duolingo.com/wilkommen

                                                      I wrote is is a free newspaper. What's wrong with that?

                                                      May 28, 2014
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