Kunnen (Can / To Be Able) in Dutch

In Brief

Kunnen means “can” or “to be able to.” Its main present-tense forms are ik kan, jij kunt/kan, hij/zij kan, and wij/jullie/zij kunnen. When another verb follows, that verb stays in the infinitive (the dictionary form) and normally goes at the end: Wij kunnen morgen komen (“We can come tomorrow”).

Overview

Kunnen is an irregular Dutch modal verb. A modal verb is a helping verb that adds an idea such as ability, possibility, or permission to another action. You need kunnen for everyday statements such as Ik kan zwemmen (“I can swim”), questions such as Kun jij me helpen? (“Can you help me?”), and practical arrangements such as We kunnen om acht uur beginnen (“We can start at eight”).

This is an A1 grammar point, but it introduces an important Dutch sentence pattern. The form of kunnen changes to match the subject, while the main action remains an infinitive (the basic form listed in a dictionary, such as komen or werken). In a main clause, that infinitive usually appears at the end. English puts “can” directly before the main verb; Dutch can place several words between them: Ik kan vanavond niet naar het feest komen (“I cannot come to the party tonight”).

The beginner meaning is physical or learned ability: knowing how to do something or being able to do it. In real Dutch, kunnen also covers possibility, opportunity, informal permission, suggestions, and requests. Those uses follow the same basic grammar.

How It Works

Present-tense forms

Kunnen is irregular, so learn the forms as a set.

Subject	Form	Meaning	Note
ik	kan	I can	not ik kun
jij / je	kunt or kan	you can	both are standard; kan is especially common in speech
u	kunt or kan	you can	kunt is often preferred in careful or formal usage
hij / zij / ze / het	kan	he / she / it can	same form as ik
wij / we	kunnen	we can	plural
jullie	kunnen	you can	plural “you”
zij / ze	kunnen	they can	plural

A reliable beginner set is ik kan, jij kunt, hij kan, wij kunnen. Do not add the regular third-person ending to kan: it is hij kan, never hij kant.

Statements: the two-verb frame

In a main clause, the finite verb (the verb changed for person and tense) occupies the normal second position. The infinitive goes to the end.

Pattern	Dutch	English
subject + modal + infinitive	Ik kan koken.	I can cook.
subject + modal + middle information + infinitive	Ik kan vanavond koken.	I can cook tonight.
subject + modal + object + infinitive	Zij kan de computer repareren.	She can repair the computer.

Only kunnen is conjugated. The second verb does not change: ik kan zwemmen, zij kan zwemmen, wij kunnen zwemmen.

If another element starts the sentence, kunnen still comes second and the subject follows it. This is called inversion (the subject and finite verb exchange their usual order):

• Morgen kan ik thuiswerken. — “Tomorrow I can work from home.”
• In deze winkel kunnen we met een kaart betalen. — “In this shop we can pay by card.”

Questions

For a yes-or-no question, place the finite form first:

• Kan ik hier zitten? — “Can I sit here?”
• Kunnen jullie morgen komen? — “Can you come tomorrow?”
• Kunt u dat herhalen? — “Can you repeat that?”

With jij/je, the -t of kunt disappears when the verb comes directly before the pronoun: jij kunt, but kun jij? This is the normal Dutch inversion rule for jij/je. If you use the alternative form kan, nothing is removed: jij kan, kan jij?

A question word comes before the finite verb:

• Wanneer kunnen we vertrekken? — “When can we leave?”
• Hoe kan ik dit openen? — “How can I open this?”
• Waar kun je hier parkeren? — “Where can you park here?”

Negation with niet and geen

Use niet to negate the ability or possibility:

• Ik kan niet komen. — “I cannot come.”
• Hij kan vandaag niet werken. — “He cannot work today.”

Use geen before an indefinite noun when the meaning is “no/not any”:

• Ik kan geen oplossing vinden. — “I cannot find a solution.”
• We kunnen geen taxi krijgen. — “We cannot get a taxi.”

The infinitive remains at the end. English “cannot” is one word, but Dutch normally uses two separate words: kan niet.

What kunnen can express

Use	Dutch example	Natural English meaning
learned or physical ability	Noor kan autorijden.	Noor can drive.
practical opportunity	Ik kan vrijdag langskomen.	I can come by on Friday.
possibility	Het kan morgen regenen.	It may/could rain tomorrow.
informal permission	Kan ik je pen gebruiken?	Can I use your pen?
request	Kun je de deur sluiten?	Can you close the door?
suggestion	We kunnen de trein nemen.	We could take the train.

English “can” is often a good guide, but translations vary. In possibility and suggestion contexts, English may prefer “may,” “might,” or “could,” even though Dutch uses a present form of kunnen.

When the second verb is understood

Dutch can omit an action that is already obvious:

• Kun je morgen komen? — Ja, dat kan. — “Can you come tomorrow? — Yes, I can.”
• Ik wil helpen, maar ik kan niet. — “I want to help, but I can’t.”
• Kan dat? — “Is that possible?”

Here kan does not mean that an object has an ability. Dat kan often simply means “That is possible,” “That works,” or “That is allowed,” depending on the situation.

Word order in a subordinate clause

A subordinate clause is a dependent part introduced by a word such as omdat (“because”) or als (“if/when”). Its verbs gather near the end. With kunnen, a common neutral order is finite modal + infinitive:

• Ik blijf thuis omdat ik niet kan werken. — “I am staying home because I cannot work.”
• Bel me als je morgen kunt komen. — “Call me if you can come tomorrow.”

For an A1 learner, the key contrast is Ik kan morgen komen in a main clause but omdat ik morgen kan komen after omdat.

Examples in Context

Dutch	English	Note
Ik kan zwemmen.	I can swim.	Basic ability
Kun jij me helpen?	Can you help me?	Question; kunt loses -t before jij
Zij kan goed koken.	She can cook well.	Skill; infinitive at the end
Wij kunnen morgen komen.	We can come tomorrow.	Practical availability
Mijn opa kan nog zonder bril lezen.	My grandfather can still read without glasses.	Physical ability
Kunt u wat langzamer spreken?	Could you speak a little more slowly?	Polite request with u
Kan ik hier met een kaart betalen?	Can I pay by card here?	Asking about possibility
Je kunt de kaartjes online kopen.	You can buy the tickets online.	General possibility or instruction
Het kan vanavond glad worden.	It may become icy tonight.	Possibility, not ability
We kunnen na het werk iets drinken.	We could have a drink after work.	Suggestion
Vandaag kan ik helaas niet blijven.	Unfortunately, I cannot stay today.	Time first, causing inversion
Waarom kunnen jullie niet meegaan?	Why can’t you come along?	Question word + modal
Als je wilt, kan ik je ophalen.	If you like, I can pick you up.	Offer
Deze tas kan in de wasmachine.	This bag can go in the washing machine.	The action is understood
Dat kan gebeuren.	That can happen.	General possibility

Common Mistakes

Conjugating the main action

• Wrong: Ik kan zwemt.
• Right: Ik kan zwemmen.
• Why: After kunnen, the main action stays in the infinitive. Only kan is conjugated.

Putting the infinitive too early

• Wrong: Ik kan komen morgen.
• Right: Ik kan morgen komen.
• Why: In a neutral Dutch main clause, time, objects, and other middle information normally come before the final infinitive. English word order can tempt you to keep “can come” together.

Using a regular present-tense form

• Wrong: Hij kant goed koken.
• Right: Hij kan goed koken.
• Why: Kunnen is irregular. The third-person singular is kan, without -t.

Keeping the -t before jij in a question

• Wrong: Kunt jij me helpen?
• Right: Kun jij me helpen? or Kan jij me helpen?
• Why: When a verb with a -t form stands directly before jij/je, that -t is dropped. This does not apply to u: Kunt u me helpen? is correct.

Treating every “may” as kunnen

• Awkward for formal permission: Kan ik binnenkomen?
• More explicit: Mag ik binnenkomen?
• Why: Kan ik …? is common in everyday speech, just like English “Can I …?” However, mogen directly expresses being allowed to do something. Use it when permission itself matters.

Translating English “know how to” word for word

• Wrong: Ik weet hoe te zwemmen. when you simply mean you have the ability
• Right: Ik kan zwemmen.
• Why: Dutch normally uses kunnen for a learned skill. A phrase with weten hoe focuses on knowing the method and is not the ordinary way to state basic ability.

Usage Notes

Kunt versus kan with jij and u

Both jij kunt and jij kan are accepted in standard Dutch. Jij kan is extremely common in conversation; jij kunt may sound a little more careful or traditional, but it is not excessively formal. With u, both u kunt and u kan occur. U kunt remains a safe choice in formal writing, service language, and polite requests.

Do not confuse register with grammar in inversion. Kun jij? belongs to the jij kunt pattern, while kan jij? belongs to jij kan. With u, the t remains: Kunt u?

Ability, permission, and possibility

Context usually tells you which meaning is intended. Kan Emma rijden? can ask whether Emma knows how to drive, whether she is physically able to drive now, or whether she is available to drive. Add detail if the distinction matters: Heeft Emma een rijbewijs? asks whether she has a licence, while Mag Emma rijden? asks whether she is allowed to drive.

For a polite request, Kun je …? and Kunt u …? are routine and natural. A request phrased with Kan je …? is not necessarily a literal question about ability. Tone and context make it a request, just as in English.

Pronunciation and reduced forms

In ordinary speech, je, we, and ze are frequent unstressed forms of jij, wij, and zij: Kun je komen?, We kunnen beginnen, Ze kan goed zingen. Learn these as normal spoken Dutch rather than as careless abbreviations.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following forms at A1, but they are common enough to recognise.

Past tense

The simple past is kon in the singular and konden in the plural:

Subject	Past form	Example
ik / jij / u / hij / zij / het	kon	Ik kon gisteren niet komen. — I could not come yesterday.
wij / jullie / zij	konden	We konden de uitgang niet vinden. — We could not find the exit.

Past kon can describe general ability, actual opportunity, or a softer suggestion. Context determines whether English uses “could,” “was able to,” or another expression.

Perfect forms and the double infinitive

When kunnen stands alone, its past participle (a form used with an auxiliary such as hebben) is gekund: Ik heb het nooit gekund (“I have never been able to do it”).

When another infinitive is present, Dutch normally uses a double infinitive instead of gekund:

• Ik heb niet kunnen slapen. — “I have not been able to sleep.”
• Zij heeft ons kunnen helpen. — “She has been able to help us.”

The sequence heeft kunnen helpen may look unusual to an English speaker, but it is the standard pattern. This belongs to later study of modal verbs in the past.

Could as politeness or condition

English “could” does not always require Dutch past kon. Present Kunt u mij helpen? is already a polite request. Dutch can also use conditional phrasing such as Zou u mij kunnen helpen? (“Could you help me?”), which sounds more tentative or deferential. This combines kunnen with zullen and is best learned after the basic present tense is automatic.

Infinitive clusters and variation

In longer clauses, Dutch may place several infinitives together: Ik denk dat zij ons zal kunnen helpen (“I think she will be able to help us”). Verb-cluster order has variation across regions and constructions. Beginners should copy clear, common models rather than trying to derive every possible order. The core rule remains useful: the finite verb is placed correctly for the clause, and non-finite verbs collect toward the end.

Practice Tips

1. Build a four-form drill. Choose one everyday action and say ik kan, jij kunt, zij kan, and wij kunnen with it: Ik kan koken; jij kunt koken; zij kan koken; wij kunnen koken. Then replace the action.
2. Stretch the sentence frame. Start with Ik kan komen and add one detail at a time before the infinitive: Ik kan morgen komen; Ik kan morgen om acht uur komen; Ik kan morgen om acht uur met de trein komen. This trains Dutch word order rather than English word order.
3. Practise three meanings separately. Make one ability sentence, one request, and one possibility each day—for example, Ik kan fietsen, Kun je wachten?, and Het kan regenen. This prevents you from learning kunnen as only “having a skill.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular Verbs Present — review present-tense subjects and verb forms before learning this irregular modal.
• Next step: Modal Verbs in Past — learn kon/konden and past constructions with modal verbs.
• Advanced connection: Modal Nuances — compare subtle meanings, politeness, probability, and register across Dutch modal verbs.