Jeg kan ikke finde svaret på spørgsmålet.

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Breakdown of Jeg kan ikke finde svaret på spørgsmålet.

• kunne: can
• spørgsmålet: the question
• ikke: not

Questions & Answers about Jeg kan ikke finde svaret på spørgsmålet.

Why is ikke placed after kan in Jeg kan ikke finde ...?

Because this is a main clause in Danish, and Danish normally follows the V2 rule: the finite verb comes in second position.

So the structure is:

• Jeg = subject
• kan = finite verb
• ikke = negation
• finde = infinitive
• svaret på spørgsmålet = object phrase

That is why you get Jeg kan ikke finde ..., not Jeg ikke kan finde ... in a normal main clause.

A useful comparison:

• Jeg kan ikke finde svaret. = main clause
• ... fordi jeg ikke kan finde svaret. = subordinate clause

In a subordinate clause, ikke usually comes before the finite verb.

Why is it finde and not finder?

Because kan is a modal verb, and after a modal verb, the next verb stays in the infinitive.

So:

• kan finde = can find
• not kan finder
• not kan at finde

This is similar to English, where you say can find, not can finds and not can to find.

What does kan mean here exactly?