Grammatica - loco

11
Verbs
226
Dat kan wel waar zijn maar . . .
That may be true but . . .
De minister-president kan elk ogenblik komen.
The prime minister may/might come at any moment.
(b) Kunnen is commonly used in polite requests:
Kunt u het raam even dichtdoen?/Zou u het raam even dicht
kunnen doen?
Could you close the window?
(c) Kunnen + beter renders English ‘had better’:
Je kan beter geen auto kopen.
You had better not buy a car/You’re better off not buying a car.
(d) Note that kunnen is not used with verbs of perception unlike
English:
Ik zie/hoor niets.
I can’t see/hear anything.
Ik versta je niet.
I can’t understand you. 25
(e) A conditional of kunnen is often used to render ‘might’ (see 11.8.5.3
(d)).
11.8.5.2
moeten
(a) Moeten has two meanings:
1 to be obliged to, have to
2 to be advised to
Je moet je vader helpen.
You must (are obliged to) help your father.
You must (i.e. I advise you to) help your father.
English has the same ambiguity. When the above English examples
are negated, the following occurs:
meaning 1: You don’t have to help your father = You needn’t help
your father.
25 Note that this means ‘I can’t hear you/what you are saying’ (e.g. on the phone). ‘I
don’t understand you’ with reference to your behaviour would be Ik begrijp je niet.