costar
“costar” means “to cost” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
to cost
Also: to be priced at
📝 In Action
¿Cuánto cuesta esta camiseta?
A1How much does this t-shirt cost?
Las entradas cuestan veinte euros.
A1The tickets cost twenty euros.
La cena nos costó mucho dinero.
A2The dinner cost us a lot of money.
to be difficult, to take effort
Also: to struggle
📝 In Action
Me cuesta hablar español.
A2It's hard for me to speak Spanish.
A Juan le cuesta levantarse temprano.
B1Juan struggles to get up early.
Nos costó mucho encontrar la casa.
B1It took us a lot of effort to find the house.
🔄 Conjugations
subjunctive
imperfect
present
indicative
preterite
imperfect
present
🔀 Commonly Confused With
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: costar
Question 1 of 2
How do you say 'The books cost ten dollars'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
From the Latin word 'constare,' which meant 'to stand together' or 'to be established.' Over time, it came to mean 'to stand at a certain price.'
First recorded: 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 'costar' and 'valer'?
They are very similar! 'Costar' usually refers to the specific price you pay, while 'valer' often refers to the value or worth of something. However, in shops, both can be used to ask for a price.
Is 'costar' always irregular?
Yes, in the present tense, the 'o' always changes to 'ue' when it is stressed (all forms except nosotros and vosotros).