German Phrase
Wenn du vorher kündigst, gibt's Gebühren.
Meaning
The sentence states that cancelling a contract or service ahead of time will result in a charge. It uses a conditional clause (wenn…) to warn the listener about a possible fee that will be applied.
When to use
Use this phrase when explaining the terms of a contract, subscription, or service—especially in customer‑service or sales conversations where the speaker wants to make the listener aware of a penalty for early termination.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Wennduvorherkündigst,gibt'sGebühren.
Wenn (conditional subjunction)
‘Wenn’ introduces a condition; the verb of the subordinate clause moves to the end.
du (personal pronoun)
Second‑person singular informal pronoun; it triggers the verb ending –st.
vorher (adverb)
Means ‘beforehand’ or ‘in advance’; placed before the verb it modifies.
kündigst (verb conjugation)
Present tense of ‘kündigen’ (to cancel) for ‘du’; regular –en verb gets the –st ending.
gibt's (contraction of gibt es)
Colloquial short form of ‘es gibt’, used to state that something exists or happens.
Gebühren (plural noun)
Plural of ‘Gebühr’; used with ‘es gibt’ to talk about fees in general.
🗨In Conversation
Muss ich etwas beachten, wenn ich den Vertrag kündige?
Do I need to watch out for anything when I cancel the contract?
Ja, wenn du vorher kündigst, gibt's Gebühren.
Yes, if you cancel in advance, there are fees.
✕Common Mistakes
Wenn du vorher kündigst, gibt Gebühren.
The idiomatic expression is ‘es gibt’ (or the colloquial ‘gibt’s’); omitting ‘es’ sounds unnatural.
Wenn du vorher kündigst, gibt's Gebühr.
‘Gebühr’ is singular; after ‘es gibt’ you need the plural ‘Gebühren’ unless you refer to a specific fee.
Wenn du vorher kündige, gibt's Gebühren.
In the ‘wenn’ clause the verb must be at the end; ‘du kündigst’ is correct, not ‘du kündige’.
↔Alternatives
Wenn du vorher kündigst, fallen Gebühren an.
If you cancel in advance, fees will be incurred.
Bei einer vorzeitigen Kündigung entstehen Gebühren.
A fee arises with an early termination.
Kündigst du vorher, musst du Gebühren zahlen.
If you cancel early, you have to pay fees.
Cultural Tip
In German business communication the formal ‘Sie’ is usually preferred, especially in written contracts or when speaking with a service provider you don’t know personally. The informal ‘du’ version is fine in casual contexts or when the provider has explicitly invited you to use ‘du’. Also, German contracts often specify a ‘Kündigungsfrist’ (notice period); mentioning fees without naming the exact amount can be seen as vague, so it’s common to follow up with the exact sum.