Word
Sie kann gut tauchen.
Meaning
She can dive well.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Lesson
Questions & Answers about Sie kann gut tauchen.
Does Sie here mean she, they, or formal you?
In this sentence, Sie can only mean she.
The key is the verb form kann:
- sie kann = she can
- sie können = they can
- Sie können = you can (formal)
Because the sentence uses kann and not können, the subject must be singular feminine: she.
Why is the verb split into kann and tauchen?
This happens because können is a modal verb.
In German main clauses, a modal verb is usually:
- conjugated in the second position
- while the other verb stays in the infinitive at the end
So:
- Sie = subject
- kann = conjugated modal verb
- gut tauchen = the rest, with tauchen at the end
This is a very common German pattern:
- Ich kann schwimmen.
- Er will kommen.
- Wir müssen gehen.
Why is kann in the second position?