kannst

Kannst is the second-person singular present tense form of the German modal verb können. It means "you can" or "you are able to" and is used to express ability, possibility, or permission in informal address. The infinitive is können, and the other present-tense forms are ich kann, er kann, wir können, ihr könnt, sie können. Kannst is commonly used with another verb in the infinitive to indicate an action the subject is able to perform, as in Du kannst kommen (You can come).

In questions, kannst is placed at the beginning: Kannst du mir helfen? In statements, it appears after the subject: Du kannst heute Abend kommen. The negation is formed with nicht: Du kannst nicht kommen, or with kein when negating a noun phrase: Du kannst keinen Kaffee trinken, depending on the context.

Semantics and usage: kann/kannst implies ability or possibility. It is distinct from dürfen, which expresses permission more than capability. For example, Du kannst gehen means you are able to go (or you may go in a permissive sense depending on context), whereas Du darfst gehen focuses more on permission granted by someone else. Kannst is also used in hypothetical or conditional contexts with related constructions.

Pronunciation: kannst is pronounced roughly as kahnst, with a clear short a and a final cluster -nst.

Etymology and classification: Kannst is part of the Germanic family of modal verbs built from können, whose forms trace back to Proto-Germanic kunnan-. As a highly frequent verb form, kannst appears across a wide range of registers, from everyday speech to literature.