Questions & Answers about Har du kunnet læse hele artiklen?
Why are there two verbs, kunnet læse, right after each other here?
This is the compound perfect tense of a modal verb. Just like in English (have been able to read), Danish uses the auxiliary verb har, followed by the past participle of the modal verb (kunnet), and then the bare infinitive of the main verb (læse). Notice that læse does not take at in front of it.
Why is it hele artiklen instead of using the separate definite article, like den hele artikel?
The adjective hel (whole) is an exception to the normal definite adjective rules in Danish. When you want to say the whole [noun], you use the e-form of the adjective (hele) directly with the noun's definite suffix (artiklen). You skip the separate front article (den or det). So the whole article is simply hele artiklen.
Why is the definite form of the noun spelled artiklen and not artikelen?
When a Danish noun ends in an unstressed -el, -er, or -en (like en artikel), the e in that suffix drops out before you add the definite ending. So artikel + -en contracts to artiklen, which is much easier to pronounce.
Could I say Har du været i stand til at læse hele artiklen? instead?