Kannst du die schwere Tasche heben?

Because this is a yes/no question in German. In main-clause yes/no questions, the conjugated verb usually comes first.

• Kannst du die schwere Tasche heben? = Can you lift the heavy bag?
• Statement version: Du kannst die schwere Tasche heben. = You can lift the heavy bag.

So the first-position verb is a big clue that this is a question.

Kannst is the du form of the verb können, which means can / to be able to.

Here is the present tense:

• ich kann = I can
• du kannst = you can
• er/sie/es kann = he/she/it can
• wir können = we can
• ihr könnt = you all can
• sie/Sie können = they / you (formal) can

The -st ending marks the verb for du.

Du is the informal word for you, used with friends, family, children, and people you know well.

If you wanted the formal version, you would say:

• Können Sie die schwere Tasche heben?

That means the same basic thing, but it is more polite or formal.

Because in German, adjectives usually take an ending when they come before a noun.

Here:

• die = the
• schwere = heavy
• Tasche = bag

Since Tasche is feminine singular, and it is used here with die, the adjective takes -e:

• die schwere Tasche

This is a very common pattern:

• der schwere Koffer
• die schwere Tasche
• das schwere Paket

Here, die schwere Tasche is the direct object, so it is in the accusative case.

The tricky part is that for feminine singular nouns, the article die stays the same in both nominative and accusative.

So:

• Nominative: die Tasche = the bag
• Accusative: die Tasche = the bag

You can tell it is accusative here because it is the thing being lifted.

Compare:

• Die Tasche ist schwer. = The bag is heavy.
  
  • die Tasche = subject, nominative
• Kannst du die Tasche heben? = Can you lift the bag?
  
  • die Tasche = direct object, accusative

Because können is a modal verb, and modal verbs often work with a second verb in the infinitive.

In German main clauses, when a modal verb is conjugated, the other verb usually goes to the end:

• Kannst du ... heben?
• Ich kann ... heben.
• Wir können ... heben.

So:

• kannst = the conjugated modal verb
• heben = the main action, left in the infinitive at the end

This is a very important German sentence pattern.

Not exactly.

• heben = to lift / raise
• tragen = to carry / wear

So die schwere Tasche heben means to lift the heavy bag, for example from the floor or onto a table.

If you said:

• Kannst du die schwere Tasche tragen?

that would mean Can you carry the heavy bag?

So heben focuses on the action of lifting, not necessarily carrying it somewhere.

Usually it means can you / are you able to, but the exact sense depends on context.

In this sentence, because of die schwere Tasche heben, it most naturally refers to physical ability:

• Are you strong enough to lift it?

But Kannst du ... ? can also be used in other ways, such as:

• Kannst du morgen kommen? = Can you come tomorrow?
• Kannst du mir helfen? = Can you help me?

So it can mean ability, possibility, or sometimes a casual request, depending on context.

You would put the subject first and keep the modal structure:

• Du kannst die schwere Tasche heben. = You can lift the heavy bag.

The important difference is word order:

• Question: Kannst du die schwere Tasche heben?
• Statement: Du kannst die schwere Tasche heben.

Tasche usually means a bag, often something like a handbag, shopping bag, or general bag with handles or a defined shape.

Other words are different:

• Beutel = pouch, small bag, packet, sack-like container
• Sack = sack, large bag, often rough or for bulk material

So die schwere Tasche sounds like a normal bag that happens to be heavy, which fits this sentence very naturally.