Expressing Skills with "kunna"
To express that you know how to do something or have a specific skill, use the verb kunna (to know how to / can) followed by the infinitive marker að and the main verb.
Kunna is irregular. Here is its present tense conjugation:
| Pronoun | Verb |
|---|---|
| ég | kann |
| þú | kannt |
| hann/hún/það | kann |
| við | kunnum |
| þið | kunnið |
| þeir/þær/þau | kunna |
| Do you know how to knit? | Kunnið þið að prjóna? |
| Does he know how to play chess? | Kann hann að tefla? |
| They know how to build a house. | Þeir kunna að smíða hús. |
To make a sentence negative, place ekki immediately after the conjugated kunna, before að.
| I do not know how to program the computer. | Ég kann ekki að forrita tölvuna. |
Languages and Instruments
This structure is often used for speaking languages or playing instruments. Note that playing an instrument requires the preposition á followed by the instrument in the accusative case (e.g., spila á gítarinn).
| Do they know how to speak French? | Kunna þær að tala frönsku? |
| The woman knows how to knit and speak Spanish. | Konan kann að prjóna og tala spænsku. |
| The girl knows how to play the piano. | Stelpan kann að spila á píanóið. |
| Which boy knows how to play the guitar? | Hvaða strákur kann að spila á gítarinn? |
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