Translated examples
日本語が読めます。
I can read Japanese.
この魚は食べられます。
This fish can be eaten.
明日は行けません。
I cannot go tomorrow.
料理ができます。
I can cook.
田中さんは来られますか。
Can Tanaka come?
子どものときは泳げませんでした。
I could not swim when I was a child.
Potential verbs express that an action can be done because of ability or circumstances. 読む becomes 読める and 食べる becomes 食べられる. These are new verb forms, so they can then take negative, past, and polite endings.
Formation and use
| Group | Dictionary | Potential | Polite negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| godan | 読む・行く | 読める・行ける | 読めません・行けません |
| ichidan | 食べる・見る | 食べられる・見られる | 食べられません・見られません |
| する | する | できる | できません |
| 来る | 来る | 来られる（こられる） | 来られません（こられません） |
Godan verbs move from the u-row to the e-row and add る: 書く→書ける, 飲む→飲める, 行く→行ける. The potential form then conjugates like an ichidan verb: 書けない・書けます.
Ichidan verbs use られる: 食べられる・見られる. Forms such as 食べれる are heard in conversation, but this lesson teaches the full られる forms for standard written practice.
Comparisons and common errors
する becomes できる and 来る becomes 来られる（こられる）. Do not use すれる or きられる as the target potential forms. Learn 来る with its changing reading.
が often marks the possible object: 日本語が読めます. を also occurs with potential verbs in contemporary use, so do not write a particle question that wrongly rejects every を alternative. Ability is not the same as permission.
Practise with explanations
Try the 10 questions below, or open the practice set. Check each answer or the whole set, read the explanation, and retry mistakes. First-attempt results are kept separately on this device.
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History and self-check answers
The answers below are for self-study and do not record a score. Mixed practice uses topics you have practised.
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