Breakdown of Ich backe gern, aber ich kann nicht Gitarre spielen.
ich
I
spielen
to play
gern
gladly, like to
aber
but
nicht
not
können
can / to be able to
backen
to bake
die Gitarre
the guitar
Questions & Answers about Ich backe gern, aber ich kann nicht Gitarre spielen.
Why is spielen at the very end of the sentence?
This is the sentence bracket (Satzklammer) at work! When you use a modal verb, the conjugated modal verb (kann) takes the normal second position in the clause, but the main action verb (spielen) is pushed to the very end in its infinitive (dictionary) form.
Why is the verb kann instead of something like "könne"?
Modal verbs like können (to be able to) have irregular conjugations. For ich (I) and er/sie/es (he/she/it), they do not get the typical verb endings, and their vowel often changes. Here, the ö changes to a, making the ich form kann.
Does aber change the word order in the second half of the sentence?
No! Words like aber (but) and und (and) are "position zero" words. They connect the sentences but do not count towards the word order positions. After aber, the subject ich takes position 1, and the conjugated verb kann safely stays in position 2.
The translation says "I like to bake", but I do not see a verb for "to like". How does that work?
In German, instead of using a specific verb for "to like doing something", you use the normal action verb and add the word gern (gladly). So ich backe means "I bake", and adding gern makes it "I like to bake".
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