Breakdown of Er liest das Buch und kann es verstehen.
er
he
es
it
und
and
das Buch
the book
verstehen
to understand
lesen
to read
können
can / to be able to
Questions & Answers about Er liest das Buch und kann es verstehen.
Why is verstehen at the very end of the sentence?
This is a classic example of the German sentence bracket (Satzklammer). When you use a modal verb like können (here conjugated as kann), it takes the normal verb position. The main action verb it works with (verstehen) gets pushed all the way to the end of the sentence in its basic dictionary form (the infinitive).
I learned the verb for "can" is können. Why is it kann here?
Modal verbs like können have an irregular vowel change for the singular forms (I, you, he/she/it). Because the subject of this sentence is er (he), the correct form is kann. Notice that it doesn't take the usual "-t" ending that regular verbs use for er!
Where is the subject in the second half of the sentence (kann es verstehen)?
It is implied! Just like in English, when two actions are connected by und (and) and share the exact same subject (er), you don't need to repeat it. You could say "...und er kann es verstehen," but dropping the second er is very natural.
Why do we use the word es to mean "it" here?
In German, pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they are replacing. Because "the book" is das Buch (a neuter noun), it is replaced by the neuter pronoun es.
Why is the verb for reading spelled liest instead of "lest"?
The dictionary form is lesen, but it is a strong verb that undergoes a vowel change when conjugated. For the du (you) and er/sie/es (he/she/it) forms, the "e" in the stem changes to "ie", making it er liest.
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