Word
Du kannst mich jederzeit anrufen.
Meaning
You can call me at any time.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Du kannst mich jederzeit anrufen.
Why is the verb kannst in second position?
German main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite (conjugated) verb is in second position. In Du kannst mich jederzeit anrufen, the subject Du is first, the finite verb kannst is second, and the rest (object, adverb, infinitive) follows.
Why is anrufen at the end and not split?
Because kannst is a modal verb. With modals, the other verb stays as an infinitive at the end and is not split: Du kannst … anrufen. Without a modal, the separable verb would split: Du rufst mich jederzeit an (prefix an goes to the end).
Could I say the same idea without a modal verb?
Yes: Du rufst mich jederzeit an. That’s a simple present with the separable verb anrufen split: rufst … an.
What case is mich, and why not mir?
mich is accusative (direct object of anrufen). The verb anrufen takes a direct object: jemanden anrufen. mir is dative and would be wrong here in standard German.
Does anrufen need a preposition, like “call to”?