A1 Modal Verbs 1 min read Leicht

Modal Verb 'Kan'

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The word 'kan' expresses ability or possibility and is always followed by the infinitive form of the main verb.

  • Use 'kan' to express ability: Jag kan simma (I can swim).
  • Use 'kan' for possibility: Det kan regna (It might rain).
  • Always follow 'kan' with the infinitive verb (no 'att'): Vi kan dansa (We can dance).
Subject + kan + Verb (infinitive)

Meanings

The modal verb 'kan' is used to indicate physical or mental ability, or the possibility of something happening.

1

Physical/Mental Ability

Possessing the skill or capacity to do something.

“Jag kan laga mat.”

“Hon kan spela piano.”

2

Possibility/Probability

Something that is possible to occur.

“Det kan bli varmt imorgon.”

“Det kan hända.”

3

Permission (Informal)

Sometimes used to ask if something is allowed.

“Kan jag gå nu?”

“Kan vi sitta här?”

Conjugation of 'Kan'

Person Swedish English
Jag kan I can
Du kan You can
Han/Hon/Den/Det kan He/She/It can
Vi kan We can
Ni kan You (plural) can
De kan They can

Reference Table

Reference table for Modal Verb 'Kan'
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subj + kan + Verb Jag kan sjunga
Negative Subj + kan + inte + Verb Jag kan inte sjunga
Question Kan + Subj + Verb? Kan du sjunga?
Short Answer (Yes) Ja, jag kan. Ja, jag kan.
Short Answer (No) Nej, jag kan inte. Nej, jag kan inte.

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Kan ni vara vänlig att hjälpa mig?

Kan ni vara vänlig att hjälpa mig? (Requesting help)

Neutral
Kan du hjälpa mig?

Kan du hjälpa mig? (Requesting help)

Informell
Kan du hjälpa?

Kan du hjälpa? (Requesting help)

Umgangssprache
Kan du fixa?

Kan du fixa? (Requesting help)

Uses of Kan

Kan

Ability

  • Simma Swim
  • Tala Speak

Possibility

  • Regna Rain
  • Hända Happen
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Examples by Level

1

Jag kan simma.

I can swim.

2

Kan du tala svenska?

Can you speak Swedish?

3

Vi kan äta nu.

We can eat now.

4

Hon kan inte komma.

She cannot come.

1

Det kan regna idag.

It might rain today.

2

Kan jag få en kopp kaffe?

Can I have a cup of coffee?

3

De kan inte hitta vägen.

They cannot find the way.

4

Kan du hjälpa mig med detta?

Can you help me with this?

1

Jag kan inte förstå varför han gjorde så.

I cannot understand why he did that.

2

Om vi skyndar oss, kan vi hinna med tåget.

If we hurry, we can catch the train.

3

Det kan vara sant, men jag är osäker.

It might be true, but I am unsure.

4

Kan man parkera här?

Can one park here?

1

Det kan ha varit ett misstag från början.

It might have been a mistake from the beginning.

2

Man kan inte förvänta sig att allt ska gå smidigt.

One cannot expect everything to go smoothly.

3

Kan du tänka dig att bo i ett annat land?

Can you imagine living in another country?

4

Det kan inte uteslutas att förslaget ändras.

It cannot be ruled out that the proposal will change.

1

Hur kan man någonsin veta säkert?

How can one ever know for sure?

2

Det kan tyckas märkligt, men det finns en logik.

It might seem strange, but there is a logic.

3

Kan det vara så att vi har missförstått situationen?

Could it be that we have misunderstood the situation?

4

Man kan inte nog betona vikten av förberedelse.

One cannot emphasize the importance of preparation enough.

1

Det kan knappast anses vara en adekvat lösning.

It can hardly be considered an adequate solution.

2

Kan man ana en viss ironi i hans ordval?

Can one detect a certain irony in his word choice?

3

Det kan inte förnekas att utvecklingen har varit snabb.

It cannot be denied that the development has been rapid.

4

Kan vi verkligen tillskriva honom hela äran?

Can we really attribute all the credit to him?

Easily Confused

Modal Verb 'Kan' vs. Kan vs Vet

Both translate to 'know' in English.

Modal Verb 'Kan' vs. Kan vs Får

Both can imply permission.

Modal Verb 'Kan' vs. Kan vs Vill

Both are modal verbs.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Jag kan att simma

✓

Jag kan simma

Never use 'att' after a modal verb.
✗

Jag kannar simma

✓

Jag kan simma

Modal verbs do not conjugate.
✗

Kan jag simma?

✓

Jag kan simma

Word order in statements is Subject-Verb.
✗

Jag kan inte att gå

✓

Jag kan inte gå

Negative form still excludes 'att'.
✗

Det kan regnar

✓

Det kan regna

The second verb must be in infinitive form.
✗

Kan du att hjälpa?

✓

Kan du hjälpa?

Questions also exclude 'att'.
✗

Jag kan inte läsa boken

✓

Jag kan inte läsa boken

This is actually correct, but ensure 'inte' is placed correctly.
✗

Jag kan har gjort det

✓

Jag kan ha gjort det

Use the infinitive 'ha' after 'kan'.
✗

Kan du att jag går?

✓

Kan jag gå?

Don't use 'att' as a conjunction here.
✗

Han kan inte att komma

✓

Han kan inte komma

Still no 'att' in negative.
✗

Det kan inte förnekas att det är sant

✓

Det kan inte förnekas att det är sant

This is correct, but watch for redundant 'att'.
✗

Kan man att säga så?

✓

Kan man säga så?

No 'att' after 'kan'.
✗

Det kan ha varit hänt

✓

Det kan ha hänt

Don't double-conjugate the participle.

Sentence Patterns

Jag kan ___.

Kan du ___?

Det kan ___ imorgon.

Man kan inte ___ här.

Real World Usage

Social Media very common

Det kan bli kul!

Job Interview common

Jag kan hantera stress.

Travel common

Kan du visa vägen?

Food Delivery occasional

Kan jag få extra sås?

Texting constant

Kan du komma?

Classroom very common

Kan du upprepa?

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💡

The 'Att' Trap

Always remember: Kan + Verb. Never add 'att'.
⚠️

Don't Conjugate

Kan is always 'kan'. Don't add -ar or -er.
🎯

Use for Possibility

Use 'kan' for things that might happen, not just things you can do.
💬

Be Direct

Using 'kan' is a polite but direct way to ask for things in Sweden.

Smart Tips

Stop! Remove the 'to' (att).

Jag kan att göra det. → Jag kan göra det.

Ask: Is it a skill? Use 'kan'. Is it a fact? Use 'vet'.

Jag vet simma. → Jag kan simma.

Use 'Kan jag få...' for a polite request.

Jag vill ha kaffe. → Kan jag få en kaffe?

Use 'Det kan...' for possibilities.

Det regnar kanske. → Det kan regna.

Aussprache

/kan/

Vowel sound

The 'a' in 'kan' is a short, open sound.

Question intonation

Kan du ↑simma?

Rising pitch at the end for yes/no questions.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Kan is the 'Can' that never needs a 'to' (att).

Visual Association

Imagine a person standing on a 'Can' (the verb) and jumping directly onto the next verb without a bridge (att).

Rhyme

Swedish 'kan' is easy to say, just drop the 'att' and go on your way.

Story

Kalle can (kan) dance. Kalle can (kan) sing. Kalle can (kan) jump. Kalle never uses 'att' because he is too fast.

Word Web

kunnakanintemöjlighetförmågafår

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences about things you can do today.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Swedes value directness, so 'kan' is used frequently to get straight to the point.

Often uses 'kan' in slightly different contexts due to Finnish influence.

Younger generations often use 'kan' with English loanwords.

Derived from Old Norse 'kunna', meaning to know or be able to.

Conversation Starters

“

Vad kan du göra?

“

Kan du laga mat?

“

Kan det regna imorgon?

“

Kan man lära sig svenska snabbt?

Journal Prompts

Skriv om tre saker du kan göra.
Skriv om vad du kan göra i Stockholm.
Skriv om en möjlighet du ser i framtiden.
Reflektera över vad du kan lära dig av dina misstag.
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Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

Jag ___ simma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kan
Kan is the correct modal verb.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Jag kan att läsa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jag kan läsa.
Remove 'att'.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Vi ___ dansa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kan
Kan is invariant.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jag kan inte simma.
Standard word order.
Translate to Swedish. Übersetzung

Can you speak Swedish?

Answer starts with: Kan...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kan du tala svenska?
Question word order.
Which is correct? Multiple Choice

Det ___ regna imorgon.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kan
Kan expresses possibility.
Fill in the blank.

___ du hjälpa mig?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kan
Kan is used for requests.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Han kan inte att komma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Han kan inte komma.
No 'att' after 'kan'.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

Jag ___ simma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kan
Kan is the correct modal verb.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Jag kan att läsa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jag kan läsa.
Remove 'att'.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Vi ___ dansa.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kan
Kan is invariant.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

inte / kan / jag / simma

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Jag kan inte simma.
Standard word order.
Translate to Swedish. Übersetzung

Can you speak Swedish?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kan du tala svenska?
Question word order.
Which is correct? Multiple Choice

Det ___ regna imorgon.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: kan
Kan expresses possibility.
Fill in the blank.

___ du hjälpa mig?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Kan
Kan is used for requests.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Han kan inte att komma.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Han kan inte komma.
No 'att' after 'kan'.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, 'kan' is the same for all subjects.

Never. It is always 'kan' + infinitive verb.

No, it is also used for possibility.

Add 'inte' after 'kan'.

Start with 'kan'.

It is neutral and used in all contexts.

'Kan' is for skills, 'vet' is for facts.

Yes, but 'får' is more formal.

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In Other Languages

German high

können

German conjugates 'können' (ich kann, du kannst), while Swedish 'kan' is invariant.

English high

can

English requires 'to' for other verbs, Swedish forbids 'att'.

Spanish moderate

poder

Spanish 'poder' conjugates and is not a modal verb in the same way.

French moderate

pouvoir

French 'pouvoir' is a standard verb, not a modal particle.

Japanese low

dekiru

Japanese uses verb suffixes rather than modal verbs.

Chinese moderate

néng

Chinese has no conjugation and no infinitive markers.

Next
Modal Verb 'Vill'

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Modal Verb 'Vill'
A1

Modal Verb 'Måste'
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