Let's break this down. We're going to add 3988 and 5491 together.

Step 1: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 1 in column 1 and get 9.

Step 2: We'll start by adding the digits 8 & 9 in column 2 and get 17.
We'll write down the last digit 7 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 3: We'll start by adding the digits 9 & 4 in column 3 and get 14.
We'll write down the last digit 4 and carry the 1 to the next column.

Step 4: We'll start by adding the digits 3 & 5 in column 4 and get 9.

So, 3988 + 5491 = 9479.

