Breakdown of Er kann nicht laufen, denn sein Knie tut weh.
nicht
not
sein
his
können
can / to be able to
wehtun
to hurt
denn
because
laufen
to walk / to run (steady pace, jog)
das Knie
the knee
Questions & Answers about Er kann nicht laufen, denn sein Knie tut weh.
Why doesn't the verb go to the end of the sentence after denn?
denn (because) is a coordinating conjunction, which means it takes "position zero" and doesn't change the word order. The subject (sein Knie) is position 1, and the verb (tut) stays in position 2. If you used weil (which also means "because"), it would force the verb to the end: ...weil sein Knie wehtut.
Why are tut and weh separated?
They come from the separable verb wehtun (to hurt). In a regular main clause, the conjugated part (tut) takes the second position, and the prefix (weh) is sent to the very end of the clause.
I learned that laufen means "to walk". Why is it translated as "to run" here?
laufen is a flexible word! Depending on the context and region, it can mean either "to walk" or "to run" (like jogging). If you want to be completely clear that someone is sprinting, use rennen, and for a normal walk, use gehen.
Why is it sein Knie instead of seines Knie or seinen Knie?
sein Knie is the subject of the second part of the sentence (it is the thing doing the hurting), so it must be in the nominative case. Because Knie is a neuter noun (das Knie), the possessive word for "his" in the nominative case is just sein.
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