Questions & Answers about Kannst du mir das andere Buch geben?
Why does the sentence start with Kannst du?
Because this is a yes/no question in German. In German, yes/no questions usually put the conjugated verb first:
- Kannst du ... ? = Can you ... ?
If it were a statement, the word order would be:
- Du kannst mir das andere Buch geben. = You can give me the other book.
So the first position of kannst signals that the speaker is asking a question.
What does kannst du mean exactly?
Kannst is the 2nd person singular form of können, which means can / to be able to.
- ich kann = I can
- du kannst = you can
- er/sie/es kann = he/she/it can
So kannst du literally means can you.
Why is it du and not Sie?