There are two ways to express ability in Japanese: using the potential form of verbs, or using できる. This guide shows you both with clear examples.
At a Glance
| Method | Formation | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potential verb form | Verb stem + られる (Group 2) / える (Group 1) | 食べられる | Can eat |
| できる (dekiru) | Noun + が + できる | 料理ができる | Can cook |
Group 2 (ru-verbs): Add られる
For ru-verbs (ichidan), replace る with られる:
食べる → 食べられる (can eat)
見る → 見られる (can see)
起きる → 起きられる (can wake up)
Group 1 (u-verbs): Change う to える Row
For u-verbs (godan), change the final sound to the え row + る:
書く (kak-u) → 書ける (kak-eru) (can write)
飲む (nom-u) → 飲める (nom-eru) (can drink)
話す (hanas-u) → 話せる (hanas-eru) (can speak)
Irregular: する → できる / くる → こられる
する → できる: 料理できる (can cook)
くる → こられる: 来られる (can come)
YukaI heard young people say 食べれる instead of 食べられる. Is that wrong?
ReiIt’s called ら抜き言葉 (ra-nuki kotoba) — dropping the ら. It’s widespread in casual speech among younger speakers but considered non-standard. In formal situations and writing, always use the full form with られる.
YukaAnd the particle — should I use が or を with potential verbs?
ReiBoth are used! The traditional rule is が: 日本語が話せる. But を is also widely accepted: 日本語を話せる. が with potential verbs is more literary; を is increasingly common in everyday speech.
5 Practice Sentences
| # | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 私は日本語が話せます。 | I can speak Japanese. |
| 2 | この問題が解けない。 | I can’t solve this problem. |
| 3 | 子供の頃、木に登れた。 | When I was a child, I could climb trees. |
| 4 | 明日は来られますか？ | Can you come tomorrow? |
| 5 | 彼女はピアノが弾けます。 | She can play the piano. |
Common Mistakes
| Wrong | Correct | Note |
|---|---|---|
| できる with specific verbs (食べできる) | 食べられる | できる goes with nouns (料理できる), not verb stems |
| 書かれる (passive) confused with 書ける (potential) | Different forms! | Passive: V-stem + られる. Potential (Group 1): change to える row |
Quick Quiz
Convert to potential form:
1. 読む (to read) → 読める
2. 寝る (to sleep) → 寝られる
3. 泳ぐ (to swim) → 泳げる
Practice in the Comments!
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Keep Learning: Grammar Hub | 〜たい vs 〜たがる | 〜なければならない vs なくてもいい
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