Breakdown of De peuter kon nog niet praten.
niet
not
praten
to talk
kunnen
can
nog
still, yet / more, another (with a quantity)
Questions & Answers about De peuter kon nog niet praten.
In English, "could" can mean either a past ability or a hypothetical conditional. How do we know which one kon is here?
Kon is the simple past tense of kunnen (to be able to). Therefore, it states a factual past ability: the toddler was not able to talk yet. If you wanted the hypothetical conditional ("would not be able to talk"), you would use zou kunnen praten. This is a common trap for English speakers!
How does nog niet differ from pas in contexts like this?
Nog niet simply means "not yet" at the moment being described in the past. Pas means "only just" or "not until." If you said De peuter kon pas praten toen hij vier was, it would mean the toddler didn't talk until he was four.
Why use praten here instead of spreken?
Praten translates to "to talk" or "to chat," while spreken means "to speak." Praten is more natural for the basic, physical act of making words, which fits a toddler. Spreken is slightly more formal and is typically used for speaking a specific language (like Dutch) or giving an address.