Questions & Answers about Jeg kan høre torden derude.
Why does the sentence use kan høre instead of just hører?
In Danish, kan + infinitive often works like English can + verb with senses:
- Jeg kan høre ... = I can hear ...
- It often describes what you are able to perceive right now, not only general ability.
So Jeg kan høre torden derude sounds very natural for noticing a sound at the moment.
You can also say Jeg hører torden derude, but jeg kan høre is often the more idiomatic choice when talking about hearing something happening.
Why is there no at before høre?
Because kan is a modal verb, and after modal verbs Danish uses the bare infinitive.
So:
- jeg kan høre
- jeg vil høre
- jeg skal høre
Not:
- jeg kan at høre
This is similar to English:
- I can hear
- not I can to hear
What exactly does kan mean here? Does it mean ability, possibility, or something else?