When to use it
Use it at a bank, an exchange office or a hotel reception.
The sentence in English (“Can I exchange money here?”)
"Can I exchange money here?" puts "can" before "I" and "here" at the end.
- Can
- auxiliary verbcan · tense: present · modal verb of ability or permission; it opens the question
- I
- pronounpersonal pronoun, always written with a capital letter
- exchange
- verbexchange · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · main verb after "can"
- money
- noununcountable noun
- here
- adverbadverb of place
The sentence in German (“Kann ich hier Geld wechseln?”)
"Kann ich hier Geld wechseln?" puts "hier" in the middle and "wechseln" at the end. "Wechseln" covers both "change" and "exchange".
- Kann
- auxiliary verbkönnen · tense: present · mood: indicative · person: first · number: singular · "can"; opens the question
- ich
- pronoun"I"
- hier
- adverb"here"
- Geld
- nounneuter noun: "money"
- wechseln
- verbwechseln · form: infinitive · "to change", "to exchange"; goes to the end
What changes from one language to the other (English × German)
English ends with "here"; German ends with the infinitive. One German verb, "wechseln", covers two English verbs.
Example conversation
— Kann ich hier Geld wechseln?
— Can I exchange money here?
— Ja, aber wir brauchen Ihren Ausweis.
— Yes, but we need your ID.