Breakdown of Die student kan goed gitaar spelen.
de student
the student
spelen
to play
die
that / those (de-words and plurals)
kunnen
can
goed
good
de gitaar
the guitar
Questions & Answers about Die student kan goed gitaar spelen.
Why is the verb kan instead of kant? Doesn't a "he/she/it" subject usually get a verb ending in "-t"?
You are right that regular verbs get a -t for "he/she/it" subjects. However, kunnen (can/to be able to) is a modal verb, and modal verbs break this rule! For ik, jij, and hij/zij/het (or die student in this case), the form is just kan. There is no -t added.
Why does spelen (to play) go at the very end of the sentence?
This is a major rule in Dutch word order: when you use a modal verb like kan, it takes the normal second position in the sentence, but it pushes the other main verb (spelen) all the way to the end. That is why the sentence is literally "That student can well guitar play."
Why do we use die for "that" student instead of dat?
Because student is a de word (de student). When pointing out a specific de word, you use deze (this) or die (that). If it were a het word, like het kind (the child), you would use dat kind (that child).
Why is there no article like "de" before gitaar?
Just like in English where we can say "play guitar" instead of "play the guitar", Dutch often drops the article when talking about having the skill to play a musical instrument in general. You just say gitaar spelen.
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