Breakdown of Kan jij deze tekst vanavond afmaken?
jij
you
deze
this / these
vanavond
tonight
kunnen
can
de tekst
the text
afmaken
to finish
Questions & Answers about Kan jij deze tekst vanavond afmaken?
Why is the separable verb afmaken (to finish) not separated here?
Because of the modal verb kan (can). When you use a modal verb, the main verb is pushed to the very end of the sentence as a full infinitive (the dictionary form). When a separable verb is in the infinitive, its parts stay glued together as one word: afmaken.
Is it also correct to say kunt jij or kun jij instead of kan jij?
You can say kun jij, but never kunt jij. The verb kunnen (can) has two correct 'you' forms: jij kan and jij kunt. When you ask a question, the verb comes first and drops the -t for jij. This leaves you with either kan jij or kun jij. Both are perfectly fine and very common!
Why does the time word vanavond (tonight) come before the verb?
In Dutch sentences with a modal verb like kan, the infinitive verb (afmaken) is parked at the very end of the sentence. All other information, including time words like vanavond, must come before that final verb.
Why do we say deze tekst and not dit tekst?
Because tekst is a de-word (de tekst). For de-words, you must use deze (this) or die (that). You only use dit (this) and dat (that) for het-words.
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