Breakdown of Í leikskólanum kunni ég ekki að skrifa.
ég
I
ekki
not
að
to (infinitive marker)
í
in / into / to (before the hour, in telling time) / per (in frequency expressions)
Questions & Answers about Í leikskólanum kunni ég ekki að skrifa.
What is the present tense of kunni, and how does it change in the past tense?
kunni is the simple past tense of the modal verb kunna (to know how to / to be able to). Modal verbs in Icelandic often change their vowels in the past tense. The present tense 'I know how to' is ég kann, but in the past it becomes ég kunni.
Why is there an að before skrifa? I thought modal verbs didn't use it.
It depends on the modal verb! While verbs like vilja (to want) and geta (to be able to) drop the að before the next verb, kunna is an exception. When you use kunna with another verb, you must include að.
Why is the word order kunni ég instead of ég kunni?
This is the V2 (verb-second) rule in action. Because the sentence starts with the phrase Í leikskólanum (In the preschool), the verb must take the second slot. This pushes the subject ég right after the verb.
Why use kunna here instead of vita if they both mean 'to know'?
Kunna is used for skills or knowing how to do something, like writing, swimming, or speaking a language. Vita is used for knowing facts or information, like knowing what time it is or where someone lives.