Kan du skölja gurkan innan du hackar den på skärbrädan?

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Breakdown of Kan du skölja gurkan innan du hackar den på skärbrädan?

• kunna: be able to
• på: on
• den: it

Questions & Answers about Kan du skölja gurkan innan du hackar den på skärbrädan?

Why does the sentence start with Kan du?

Kan du literally means can you. In Swedish, just like in English, this structure is very commonly used to make a polite request.

So:

• Kan du skölja gurkan? = Can you rinse the cucumber?
• It is not only about ability; in everyday speech it often means please do this.

A slightly more direct version would be Skölj gurkan = Rinse the cucumber.

Why is it skölja, not sköljer?

Because skölja is the infinitive form, and after the modal verb kan you use the infinitive without att.

• kan skölja = can rinse
• kan hacka = can chop

Compare:

• Du sköljer gurkan. = You rinse the cucumber.
• Kan du skölja gurkan? = Can you rinse the cucumber?

So:

• sköljer = present tense
• skölja = infinitive

Why is it gurkan instead of just gurka?