Re: Auxiliary verbs

Hi!

Roger Mills writes:
>...
> Is it possible in German, as in Engl., to make the distinction with
> intonation?
>
> you may not gó (not permitted)= Du darfst nicht géhen.
Ok.

> you may nót gó you may [not go] (option) Du darst nícht géhen.
This would stress the prohibition.  I.e., after a question of 'May I
go?', an answer indicating how absolutely impossible this thought is,
and how outrageous the question was, would then probably stress the
negation 'nicht'.

However, you can say:

   Du darfst/kannst auch nícht gehen.

My feeling is that any of the two auxiliaries can be used here.  The
'auch' stresses the availability of an option and the stress on
'nicht' marks which is that option (namely: whether or not to go).

**Henrik