Japanese ability with dekiru and potential verbs

01 / Understand

Turn an action into something possible

In 漢字を読むことができます, the phrase 漢字を読むこと names the action of reading kanji. The dictionary form stays before こと; the final できます says that action is possible. Do not insert a polite ます inside the action phrase.

This pattern is useful when a learner knows a verb’s dictionary form but has not yet mastered its shorter potential. It can sound more explicit or formal than the shorter verb in casual conversation. Begin with controllable activities such as reading, swimming, or cooking. Do not treat it as a translation of every English can: it does not suit weather events or states that nobody controls.

The action named before こと can include an object, a location, and other ordinary details. Its internal grammar remains that of the action, while the outer predicate できます, the part that ends the sentence and makes its statement, says that the action is possible. For example, writing an email in Japanese is narrower than writing in general. This makes the longer construction useful for precise descriptions of what a learner can do. Avoid deleting those details merely to shorten the sentence; the specific task is often the most important part of an ability claim.

02 / Understand

Build godan potential forms

For a godan verb, one whose final kana changes to make other forms, change that final kana from the u row of the kana chart to its partner in the e row and add る. 読む becomes 読める; 書く becomes 書ける; 話す becomes 話せる. The resulting potential conjugates like an ichidan verb, one that drops its final る before other endings, giving polite 読めます.

The shift is not the same as the change to the polite stem, the part before ます. 読みます reports reading; 読めます reports the ability or possibility of reading. Pay attention to the vowel before ます. A small sound difference changes the claim from an activity to what the person can do.

Once the potential is built, its later endings follow the potential verb’s own pattern. 読める gives 読めない, 読めた, and polite 読めません. Do not go back to the original verb 読む to form the negative and accidentally state that you do not read. The distinction between not doing and not being able to do is central. Someone may choose not to read a book they are perfectly capable of reading. The form should match the intended explanation.

03 / Understand

Build ichidan and irregular potential forms

For an ichidan verb, replace final る with られる: 食べる becomes 食べられる, and 見る becomes 見られる. Polite forms are 食べられます and 見られます. The common shorter variants heard in conversation are real usage, but this lesson produces the standard full forms.

The irregular する uses できる, while 来る uses 来られる, read korareru. The character 来 therefore has a different reading here from 来ます. Learn the complete spoken form along with the spelling, and do not create a regular looking potential by attaching れる to the unchanged dictionary verb.

The full ichidan potential has the same form as some constructions you will meet at later levels. Context identifies the intended reading. In this lesson’s concrete ability scenarios, 食べられます means “can eat.” Elsewhere the same ending られる can have other meanings, so do not assume that it always means “can.” The learning objective is to form and understand the potential in a clearly stated situation, while leaving other uses for later study rather than silently treating them as identical.

04 / Understand

Use a noun when the activity is recoverable

An activity noun may appear directly with ができます. 料理ができます means “the person can cook,” while 日本語ができます broadly suggests ability in Japanese. The noun must make the relevant activity recoverable. A random object plus できる does not always mean you can use that object.

If precision matters, name the skill. Being able to read Japanese is different from being able to speak it. A broad language claim can hide that difference. Use 日本語を読むことができます or an appropriate shorter potential when reporting a specific ability to a classmate, teacher, or colleague.

A direct noun plus できる sometimes has meanings unrelated to skill, such as something being completed or coming into existence. 友だちができました normally means “the person made a friend,” not that the person acquired a skill called “friend.” The meaning depends on the particular noun and the context. For beginner production, select nouns that transparently name activities, and use a full verb construction when the task is not recoverable from the noun alone.

05 / Understand

Keep objects, destinations, and means distinct

Potential constructions often mark the object with が, as in 漢字が読めます. The object marker を is also found with potential verbs, so do not label every occurrence wrong. In the longer ことができます pattern, the ordinary object remains inside the action phrase: 漢字を読むことができます.

Other relationships remain available. 図書館で can state where reading is possible, and 日本語で can state the language used. A destination in 京都に行けます is still a destination. The potential does not turn every noun into an object or replace all its particles (short words placed after a word or phrase to show its role) with が.

A potential sentence can make its object the topic, the thing the sentence is about, when comparing abilities. 漢字は読めます may contrast reading kanji with another skill or object in context. This does not eliminate the underlying role of kanji as what is read. Topic marking organizes information, while the verb’s meaning still determines the participant relationship. If a sentence becomes hard to follow, go back to the neutral が version, and add a contrastive topic only when the conversation calls for one.

06 / Understand

Negate possibility and distinguish permission

To say you cannot perform the action, negate the ability predicate: 泳げません or 泳ぐことができません. Do not negate the original action and leave できる affirmative when you intend ordinary inability. 泳がないことができます expresses a different idea: the possibility of not swimming.

A question such as 行けますか may concern skill, schedule, transport, or other circumstances. It does not always ask for permission. If you need permission to use a camera, 使ってもいいですか is explicit. Wanting to go, being able to go, and being allowed to go are three different facts.

The negative potential may describe a temporary obstacle rather than a missing skill. A swimmer who is busy today can say they cannot swim today without denying that they know how. A time phrase, reason, or surrounding question narrows the intended meaning. When interpreting a short answer, do not diagnose a person’s permanent ability from a single inability statement. The lesson’s contexts deliberately separate a learned skill from a schedule or practical constraint.

07 / Understand

Frame ability accurately in a conversation

A helpful ability statement specifies the task and relevant conditions. Even a simple modifier such as 少し lets you avoid claiming more than you mean. 日本語が少し話せます presents a limited speaking ability. Keep the skill and its degree explicit when an accurate description matters.

In the game, decide whether the context concerns a skill, a practical obstacle, a desire, or permission. Then check the verb class and final negative or past ending. For production, choose a real ability and a realistic limitation. Do not equate a correct potential form with a claim of fluency; the scope of the task matters.

A capability question becomes more useful when the task has an observable scope. “Can you read this short notice?” is easier to answer accurately than “Can you do Japanese?” Practice with a specific object or activity, then add a limited degree such as 少し “a little” if appropriate. The goal is honest, usable communication. Success on the choice game shows understanding of the construction, while actual language ability still requires performing the named task outside the exercise.

Notice the difference

Common mistakes

From understanding to using

Make your own example.

Try these without answer choices. Say your answer aloud or write it below, then compare your reasoning with the model.