Jag kan inte nå chefen.

I

Breakdown of Jag kan inte nå chefen.

• kunna: can
• inte: not
• chefen: the boss

Questions & Answers about Jag kan inte nå chefen.

Why is it Jag kan inte nå chefen and not Jag inte kan nå chefen?

Because in Swedish, the negation inte usually comes after the finite verb in a main clause.

Here, the finite verb is kan.

• Jag kan inte nå chefen = correct
• Jag inte kan nå chefen = incorrect in a normal main clause

A useful pattern is:

subject + finite verb + inte + infinitive

So:

• Jag kan inte komma = I can’t come
• Hon vill inte gå = She doesn’t want to go

What does kan mean here?

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

In this sentence, kan means can in the sense of being able to do something:

• Jag kan nå chefen = I can reach the boss
• Jag kan inte nå chefen = I can’t reach the boss

Depending on context, this could mean:

• I’m unable to contact the boss
• I can’t get hold of the boss
• I’m not able to physically reach the boss

Why is nå not changed? Why isn’t it something like når?