Я не могу достать книгу с верхней полки.

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Breakdown of Я не могу достать книгу с верхней полки.

• книга: the book
• не: not
• мочь: to be able

Questions & Answers about Я не могу достать книгу с верхней полки.

What does достать mean here exactly?

Here достать means to reach and get/take something, especially when it is not easy to reach.

So Я не могу достать книгу is not just I can't take the book. It often suggests I can't reach it well enough to get it down.

That is why достать is a very natural verb in this sentence.

Why is it не могу достать, not не умею достать?

Because мочь and уметь mean different kinds of can.

• мочь = to be able to, because circumstances allow it
• уметь = to know how to, to have the skill

In this sentence, the speaker does not have a skill problem. They know perfectly well how to take a book. The problem is that they cannot physically reach it.

So Я не могу достать... is correct.

Why is достать in the infinitive after могу?