The Modal Verb "kan"
In Danish, the modal verb kan is used to express ability or possibility, just like "can" in English. It is the present tense of the verb kunne (to be able to). Like all Danish verbs, its form stays exactly the same no matter who the subject is.
The most important rule for modal verbs is that they are followed directly by the bare infinitive of the next verb. Unlike the verbs in the previous lesson, you do not use the infinitive marker at.
| I can cycle in the park. | Jeg kan cykle i parken. |
| He can draw a beautiful tree. | Han kan tegne et flot træ. |
Questions and Negations
To turn a statement with kan into a question, simply swap the subject and the modal verb. The second verb remains in its bare infinitive form later in the sentence.
| Can you open the box? | Kan du åbne kassen? |
| What can you draw? | Hvad kan du tegne? |
To make a sentence negative, place the adverb ikke (not) immediately after kan.
| He cannot close the window. | Han kan ikke lukke vinduet. |
| The man cannot lift the heavy box. | Manden kan ikke løfte den tunge kasse. |
Describing Actions
When you want to describe an action as being easy (nem) or difficult (svær), you often use the structure "It is..." (Det er...).
Because these sentences do not use a modal verb like kan, you must return to using the infinitive marker at before the action verb. Notice how the adjective gets a -t ending (svært, nemt) because it is describing the neutral pronoun det.
| It is not difficult to bake bread. | Det er ikke svært at bage brød. |
| It is easy to understand English. | Det er nemt at forstå engelsk. |