Word
Jeg kan ikke drikke vinen.
Meaning
I cannot drink the wine.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Jeg kan ikke drikke vinen.
Why does ikke go exactly between kan and drikke?
This sentence follows the standard Danish word order rule for main clauses: adverbs like ikke must come directly after the first, conjugated verb. Since kan is the first verb, ikke goes right after it, pushing the second verb drikke to the end of the action phrase.
Why is there no word for 'to' before drikke?
Because kan is a modal verb. Just like in English where we say 'can drink' instead of 'can to drink', Danish drops the word at (to) when an infinitive verb comes immediately after a modal verb.
Where is the word for 'the' in vinen?
Danish attaches 'the' to the end of the noun. The basic word for wine is vin, which is a common gender noun (an en-word). To make it 'the wine', you simply add -en to the end to get vinen.
Would ikke move if I started the sentence with a time word like 'Tomorrow'?
Yes! Because of the V2 rule, the first verb must stay in the second position. 'Tomorrow I cannot drink the wine' becomes I morgen kan jeg ikke drikke vinen. The verb kan takes the second spot, the subject jeg moves after it, and ikke follows right behind them.