Questions & Answers about Kan du åbne kassen?
Why is the verb åbne used without at (to) in front of it?
Because it comes after the modal verb kan (can). Just like in English where we say 'can open' instead of 'can to open', Danish uses the bare infinitive (the dictionary form without at) immediately after a modal verb.
Why does the verb kan come before the subject du?
To make it a yes/no question! In a normal statement, the subject comes first (Du kan åbne kassen). To turn it into a question, you simply swap the first two words so the verb comes first.
Where is the word for 'the' in kassen?
In Danish, 'the' is attached to the end of the noun. The word for 'a box' is en kasse. To say 'the box', you take the -n from en and stick it onto the end of the word, creating kassen.
What kind of box is kassen?
En kasse usually refers to a medium or large box, like a cardboard moving box or a crate. If you are talking about a small box, like a ring box or a box of chocolates, Danes usually use the word en æske.
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