Learn Hardcore Japanese: inu ha kaidan wo agareru.

– は is the topic marker. It tells us “as for the dog…,” setting 犬 as the topic of the sentence.
– が marks the grammatical subject, often introducing new information (“a dog can climb”). Here the speaker assumes you know they’re talking about the dog, so は is more natural.

What role does the particle を play in 階段を上がれる?

– を marks 階段 as the direct object or “path” of motion. In motion verbs like 上がる (“to go up”), を indicates what you’re going up.
– So 階段を上がれる literally means “(one) can go up the stairs.”

Why is the verb 上がれる used here instead of 上がる?

– 上がる is the plain “to go up.”
– 上がれる is its potential form, meaning “can go up” or “is able to go up.” We use it when expressing ability.

How do you form the potential form of 上がる to get 上がれる?

上がる is a Godan (u-verb).
Drop the final -る and change the -u vowel sound to -e, then add -る.
– 上がる → 上が＋る → 上がれ＋る = 上がれる.

What kind of verb is 上がる, and how does that affect its potential form?

– 上がる is an intransitive Godan verb (you don’t “raise” something; you yourself “go up”).
– All Godan verbs form potential by changing the -u to -e + -る, unlike Ichidan verbs (which just replace -る with -られる).

Could you use another verb like 登る instead of 上がる? What’s the difference?

– Yes: 犬は階段を登れる。
– 登る (のぼる) often implies climbing a steeper or more challenging ascent (a mountain, ladder), while 上がる is more general “going up” (stairs, steps, stage).
– In everyday speech, both are fine for stairs; nuance is slight.

Can you express the same meaning using ことができる? For example, 犬は階段を上がることができる。

– Yes, it’s grammatical: 犬は階段を上がることができる。
– This uses the nominalizer こと + できる (“to be able to”).
– It’s a bit more formal/wordy than the concise potential form 上がれる.

How do you pronounce 犬は階段を上がれる in Roman letters?

In Hepburn romanization:
Inu wa kaidan o agareru.
(Note: the particle を is pronounced “o,” not “wo.”)