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Breakdown of watasi ha eki made aruite ikeru.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
駅eki
station
までmade
limit particle
歩くaruku
to walk
〜て〜te
connective form
行けるikeru
to be able to go
Questions & Answers about watasi ha eki made aruite ikeru.
Why is 私 followed by は instead of が?
In this sentence は marks 私 as the topic—what you’re talking about—rather than focusing on it as the subject (which が would do). It sets 私 as “as for me,” and everything that follows comments on that topic.
What does まで do after 駅?
まで means “up to” or “as far as.” Here 駅まで specifies the goal or endpoint of the action: “up to the station.”
Why is 歩く in its て-form 歩いて here?
The て-form 歩いて is used to connect to the next verb, showing manner or method. Literally it’s “walking and (then) go,” but more naturally it means “go by walking.”
What exactly is 行ける doing in this sentence?
行ける is the potential form of 行く, meaning “can go.” So 歩いて行ける means “can go (somewhere) by walking.”
Could I say 駅まで歩ける instead? What’s the difference?
Yes, 駅まで歩ける (“I can walk as far as the station”) is possible. The difference is subtle:
- 駅まで歩いて行ける emphasizes the compound idea “go there by walking.”
- 駅まで歩ける focuses on your ability to walk that distance.
In practice they’re often interchangeable.
Is 歩いて行ける considered one verb or two?
Grammatically it’s two verbs in sequence: 歩いて (the て-form of 歩く) + 行ける (potential of 行く). But learners often treat it as a set phrase meaning “be able to go by walking.”
Why not just say 歩ける without 行く at all?
歩ける alone means “can walk,” without specifying a destination. Adding 行く (to go) + potential makes the sentence explicitly about reaching a place (the station) by walking.
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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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