Breakdown of Mein Vater kann heute nicht kochen.
kochen
to cook
heute
today
nicht
not
mein
my
der Vater
the father
können
can / to be able to
Questions & Answers about Mein Vater kann heute nicht kochen.
Why is kochen at the very end of the sentence instead of right after kann?
This is a rule called the sentence bracket (Satzklammer). When you use a modal verb like können (can/to be able to), the conjugated modal verb takes the second position in the sentence (kann), and the main action verb gets pushed all the way to the end in its dictionary form (kochen). Everything else gets sandwiched in between!
The dictionary form of the verb is können. Why is it spelled with an "a" in kann?
Modal verbs in German are a bit rebellious. For most modal verbs, the vowel changes when used with singular subjects (I, you, he/she/it). Here, the subject is mein Vater (he), so the "ö" in können changes to an "a", making it kann. Also notice it doesn't get a "-t" ending for "he" like regular verbs usually do!
Why is nicht placed right before kochen? Could I put it before heute?
In a sentence with a modal verb, nicht usually goes right before the verb at the end of the sentence (kochen) when you want to negate the entire action (he generally cannot cook today). If you placed it before the time word (nicht heute), you would specifically be emphasizing "not today (but maybe he can tomorrow)".
Why does heute come right after the first verb?
In German, expressions of time (like heute, meaning "today") like to sit as early as possible after the conjugated verb. So, right after Mein Vater kann, we drop in the time word heute, before we deal with the negation (nicht) and the final verb (kochen).
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