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watasi ha ie de kantanna ryouri ga tukureru.

私わたし　は　家いえ　で　簡単かんたんな　料理りょうり　が　作つくれる。watasi ha ie de kantanna ryouri ga tukureru.
I can make simple dishes at home.
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha ie de kantanna ryouri ga tukureru.

Why are both は and が used in the same sentence? What’s the difference between them here?

In 私 は 家で 簡単な 料理 が 作れる, は and が have different roles:

  • は marks the topic: what we’re talking about in general.
    • 私 は = As for me / Speaking about me.
  • が marks the subject that is closely tied to the verb’s action or state.
    • 料理 が 作れる = (I) can make dishes (literally: “dishes are makeable (by me)”).

You can think of the whole sentence as:

  • 私 は (as for me), 家で 簡単な 料理 が 作れる (simple dishes are something I can make at home).

In potential-form sentences (〜れる / 〜られる, “can do”), it’s very common for the thing that can be done to be marked by が:

  • 日本語 が 話せる – I can speak Japanese.
  • 車 が 運転できる – I can drive a car.

So:

  • 私 は = topic (who we’re talking about)
  • 料理 が = grammatical subject connected to 作れる (“what is makeable”).
Why is 料理 marked with が instead of を? I thought the object of “make” should use を.

With the plain verb 作る (to make), you do use を:

  • 料理 を 作る – to make/cook food.

But in the potential form (can make = 作れる, can do = できる), Japanese often switches the marker to が:

  • 料理 が 作れる – can make/cook food.
  • 日本語 が 話せる – can speak Japanese.
  • 漢字 が 書ける – can write kanji.

So in potential sentences, the thing you are “able to do” is typically marked by が.

Is 料理 を 作れる wrong?

  • You will hear を with potential verbs in casual speech (e.g. 料理を作れる), but standard, textbook-style Japanese strongly prefers が here.
  • If you want to be safe and natural, use が with potential verbs: 料理が作れる.
What does で do after 家? Could I say 家に instead?

で marks the location of an action:

  • 家 で 料理が作れる – can cook at home (home is where the action of cooking happens).
  • 学校 で 勉強する – study at school.
  • レストラン で 食べる – eat at a restaurant.

に after a place usually marks:

  1. Destination / direction
    • 家 に 帰る – go back home.
    • 日本 に 行く – go to Japan.
  2. Location of existence / state
    • 家 に いる – be at home.
    • 猫 が 机 の 上 に いる – the cat is on the desk.

So:

  • 家で 料理を作る = I cook at home. (action location)
  • 家に いる = I am at home. (state/location of being)

In your sentence, cooking is an action, so 家で is correct and natural.
家に簡単な料理が作れる would not be natural here.

Why is it 簡単な 料理 and not 簡単 料理 or 簡単の 料理 or just 簡単?

簡単 is a な-adjective (like きれい, 有名, etc.).

  • Before a noun, な-adjectives usually take な:
    • 簡単な 料理 – simple dishes
    • きれいな 花 – pretty flower
    • 有名な 人 – famous person

So 簡単な 料理 is the standard pattern: [な-adjective] + な + noun.

Why not the others?

  • 簡単 料理 – Sometimes in very casual speech or in set phrases you see adjective + noun without な, but 簡単 料理 feels more like a catchy label (e.g. on a cookbook cover) than normal sentence grammar.
  • 簡単の 料理 – Generally unnatural. の is used after some nouns or some special adjectives, but 簡単の料理 is not standard.
  • Just 簡単 – If you only say 簡単, there is no noun attached. You’d be saying “It is simple,” not “simple dishes.”
    • 料理は簡単だ – The cooking is simple.
    • 簡単な料理 – simple cooking / simple dishes.

So, for “simple dishes,” 簡単な料理 is the correct form.

How is 作れる formed? What’s the rule for making this “can do” form?

作れる is the potential form of the verb 作る (to make).

For most う-verbs (五段動詞) like 作る, the rule is:

  1. Take the dictionary form: 作る
  2. Change the final う-row sound to the え-row of the same consonant:
    • る (う-row) → れ (え-row)
  3. Add る:
    • 作る → 作れる – can make

More examples with う-verbs:

  • 書く (to write) → 書ける (can write)
  • 読む (to read) → 読める (can read)
  • 話す (to speak) → 話せる (can speak)
  • 行く (to go) → 行ける (can go)

For most る-verbs (一段動詞), you add られる (formal/standard):

  • 食べる → 食べられる (can eat)
  • 見る → 見られる (can see)

In casual speech, you’ll often hear 食べれる, 見れる, but textbooks first teach the られる forms.

So in your sentence:

  • 作る → 作れる = “can make / can cook”.
What’s the difference between 作れる and 作ることができる? Do they mean the same thing?

They are very close in meaning: both express ability (“can make”).

  • 作れる – potential form of 作る.
  • 作ることができる – literally “the act of making can be done.”

Nuance:

  1. Length / style

    • 作れる is shorter, more natural and common in conversation.
    • 作ることができる sounds a bit more formal or bookish, and is often used in more official or written contexts.

  2. Example comparison

    • 私は家で簡単な料理が作れる。 – I can cook simple dishes at home. (normal, everyday Japanese)
    • 私は家で簡単な料理を作ることができる。 – I am able to cook simple dishes at home. (feels more formal, explanatory)

In most everyday sentences about your own abilities, use the simple potential form 作れる.
〜ことができる is useful when you want to sound more formal or explanatory (e.g. manuals, presentations, exams).

How would I make this sentence polite?

To make the sentence polite, change the verb to the ます form of the potential:

  • 作れる (plain) → 作れます (polite)

So the polite version is:

  • 私は家で簡単な料理が作れます。 – I can cook simple dishes at home. (polite)

Other parts (私, 家で, 簡単な料理, が) are already fine as they are in both plain and polite styles.

You normally do not add です after verbs in Japanese, so you don’t say 作れますです.

Can Japanese speakers drop 私 in this sentence? Would it still be correct?

Yes. In fact, dropping 私 is very natural in Japanese when the subject is clear from context.

  • 家で簡単な料理が作れる。
    Still means: “(I) can cook simple dishes at home,” if you’re talking about yourself.

Japanese often omits pronouns (私, あなた, etc.) because the subject is understood from context, the situation, or previous sentences.

You can even drop more if the context is clear:

  • 簡単な料理が作れる。 – Can cook simple dishes.
  • 料理が作れる。 – Can cook. (maybe not gourmet dishes, but can cook generally)

Your original sentence with 私 is grammatically correct, but in a natural conversation you might not say 私 unless you are contrasting yourself with someone else (e.g., “As for me, I can…”).

Can I change the word order, like 家で私は簡単な料理が作れる or 私は簡単な料理が家で作れる?

Yes, Japanese word order is fairly flexible because particles (は, が, で, etc.) show each word’s role. All of these are grammatically possible:

  1. 私は家で簡単な料理が作れる。 (original)
    – Neutral and very natural order.

  2. 家で私は簡単な料理が作れる。
    – Puts a bit more emphasis on 家で (“At home, I can cook simple dishes”). Might be used if you’re contrasting home with somewhere else.

  3. 私は簡単な料理が家で作れる。
    – Focuses slightly more on 家で being the place where the “simple dishes can be cooked” (vs somewhere else). Still understandable.

General guideline:

  • The element you move to the front often gets slight emphasis or contrast.
  • For learners, sticking to the original order (私は 家で 簡単な料理が 作れる) is safest and most natural.
Does this sentence talk about my general ability, or that I can cook right now? There’s no separate word for “now” or “usually.”

The verb 作れる is in the non-past form, which in Japanese usually covers both:

  • Present / habitual ability:
    • I can (generally) cook simple dishes at home.
  • Future ability:
    • I will be able to cook simple dishes at home (in the future), depending on context.

Most naturally, 私は家で簡単な料理が作れる。 is understood as a general ability statement:

  • “I’m capable of cooking simple dishes at home.”

If you wanted to talk about a specific time right now, you’d add extra expressions:

  • 今なら家で簡単な料理が作れる。 – If it’s now, I can cook simple dishes at home.
  • もう家で簡単な料理が作れるようになった。 – I have now become able to cook simple dishes at home.

By default, though, your sentence is taken as a general statement about your ability.