Ég kann að elda einfaldan kvöldmat.

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Breakdown of Ég kann að elda einfaldan kvöldmat.

• elda: to cook
• kvöldmatur: the dinner
• einfaldur: simple

Questions & Answers about Ég kann að elda einfaldan kvöldmat.

Why is there að after kann?

In this sentence, að is the infinitive marker, similar to English to in to cook.

• kann = can / know how to
• að elda = to cook

So Ég kann að elda literally means I know how to cook.

This is a normal pattern with kunna when it means knowing how to do something. English often drops to after can, but Icelandic uses að here.

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What does kann mean exactly, and how is it different from get?

kann is from the verb kunna, and here it means to know how to or to be able to because of learned skill.

So:

• Ég kann að elda = I know how to cook / I can cook
• It suggests ability based on knowledge or skill.

By contrast, geta often means can / be able to in a more general sense, often about possibility or capability:

• Ég get eldað = I can cook
  This can simply mean I am able to do it.

A useful rough distinction is:

• kunna = know how, have learned
• geta = can, be able, be possible

In many everyday sentences, both may translate as can, but kunna is especially common for learned abilities.

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Why is it elda and not a different form of the verb?