Kan hon uppnå målet själv?

can

Breakdown of Kan hon uppnå målet själv?

• hon: she
• själv: herself
• målet: the goal

Questions & Answers about Kan hon uppnå målet själv?

Why does the sentence start with Kan instead of Hon?

Because this is a yes/no question in Swedish.

In a normal statement, you would say:

Hon kan uppnå målet själv.
= She can achieve the goal herself.

To make it a yes/no question, Swedish usually puts the finite verb first:

Kan hon uppnå målet själv?
= Can she achieve the goal herself?

This is a very common pattern in Swedish.

What exactly does kan mean here?

Kan is the present tense of kunna, which usually means can / be able to.

So here, kan expresses ability or possibility:

• Hon kan simma. = She can swim.
• Kan hon uppnå målet själv? = Can she achieve the goal herself?

Depending on context, kan can sometimes also mean may / might, but in this sentence the most natural meaning is be able to.

Why is it hon and not henne?