Vi kan ikke køre videre, hvis der ikke er mere benzin.

to be

Breakdown of Vi kan ikke køre videre, hvis der ikke er mere benzin.

• vi: we
• der: there
• hvis: if

Questions & Answers about Vi kan ikke køre videre, hvis der ikke er mere benzin.

Why is it kan ikke and not ikke kan?

In a normal Danish main clause, the finite verb usually comes early, and ikke typically comes after that verb.

So:

• Vi kan ikke køre videre = We cannot continue driving

Pattern:

• Vi = subject
• kan = finite verb
• ikke = not
• køre videre = continue driving / drive on

This is different from English, where not usually comes after an auxiliary too, but the overall word order can still feel different when you compare longer sentences.

A useful rule:

• In a main clause, ikke often comes after the finite verb.
• In a subordinate clause, it often comes before the finite verb.

That is why you get:

• Vi kan ikke ... but
• hvis der ikke er ...

Why does the second part say der ikke er instead of something like ikke er der?