Questions & Answers about Jeg kan ikke tale lige nu.
Why is ikke placed after kan in Jeg kan ikke tale lige nu?
In Danish main clauses, the negative ikke usually comes after the finite verb.
- Jeg kan ikke tale lige nu.
- kan = the finite verb
- ikke = not
This is a very common pattern:
- Jeg er ikke klar. = I am not ready.
- Hun kommer ikke i dag. = She is not coming today.
So Danish does not usually copy the English pattern I not can... or place ikke directly before the main verb here.
What exactly is kan here?
Kan is the present tense of kunne, which means can / to be able to.
So:
- jeg kan = I can
- du kan = you can
- han/hun kan = he/she can
In this sentence, kan works like a modal verb, just like English can.
Because it is a modal verb, the next verb stays in the infinitive:
- kan tale = can speak
You do not say kan taler.
Why is it tale and not taler?