Breakdown of Wir können Spanisch und Französisch lernen.
und
and
lernen
to learn
wir
we
können
can / to be able to
Spanisch
Spanish
Französisch
French
Questions & Answers about Wir können Spanisch und Französisch lernen.
Why is lernen at the very end of the sentence?
This happens because of the sentence bracket rule. When you use a modal verb like können in a normal statement, it takes the second position. The main action verb, lernen (to learn), gets pushed all the way to the end.
Why does können look exactly like its dictionary form here?
Modal verbs have to match the subject. Because the subject is wir (we), the verb takes the ending for 'we', making it können. For both 'we' and 'they', the conjugated verb almost always looks identical to the basic dictionary form.
Does the word lernen change if we change the subject from 'we' to 'I'?
No, it stays exactly the same! When you use a modal verb, the main verb at the end of the sentence stays in its basic dictionary form. Only the modal verb in the second position changes to match the subject (for example, Ich kann Spanisch lernen).
Why are Spanisch and Französisch capitalized?
In German, all nouns are always capitalized. The names of languages act as nouns, so they must start with a capital letter no matter where they appear in the sentence.
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