Breakdown of dokodemo nihongo wo benkyou dekiru to omoimasu.
Questions & Answers about dokodemo nihongo wo benkyou dekiru to omoimasu.
どこでも literally means “anywhere / wherever.”
- どこ = where
- 〜でも (after a question word) = “any ~,” “every ~,” “whichever ~”
So:
- どこでも = “any place / wherever / anywhere”
- It’s usually translated as “anywhere” or “wherever”, and often feels like “everywhere” in context.
About the missing particle:
In many set expressions with question-word + でも, the particle that you might expect (で, に, へ) is simply not used:
- いつでも = anytime
- だれでも = anyone
- どこでも = anywhere
The idea is that どこでも already functions as an adverbial phrase meaning “in/at/to any place,” so you don’t need to add で every time. The verb and context usually make the relationship clear (place where you do something, place you go to, etc.).
You can say them in some contexts, but they have slightly different nuances:
どこでも日本語を勉強できる
→ “You can study Japanese anywhere.” (neutral, very common)どこででも日本語を勉強できる
→ Also “You can study Japanese anywhere,” but with a bit more emphasis on the place where you do it. It can sound a little heavier or more emphatic, and is less common in casual speech.どこにでも行ける (different example)
→ “(You) can go to any place (whatsoever).”
Here に matches the “direction / destination” meaning of 行く.
Rough guideline:
- If the verb describes an action happening at a place (eat, study, sleep, etc.), どこでも by itself is usually enough and the most natural.
- どこででも is possible but often sounds more emphatic or stiff.
- どこにでも / どこへでも is more natural when the verb emphasizes going/coming/putting something to a place.
In this sentence, どこでも日本語を勉強できる is the most natural and typical choice.
を marks the direct object of a verb — the thing that the action is done to.
- 日本語を勉強する
→ “to study Japanese” (Japanese is what you study)
Even though in English we say “study Japanese” without a special marker, in Japanese:
- 日本語 = the object (what is studied)
- を = tells us it’s the direct object
- 勉強する / 勉強できる = the verb phrase (to study / can study)
So 日本語を勉強できる literally has the structure:
- “Japanese (object) + study (can)” → “can study Japanese.”
勉強 (べんきょう) is originally a noun meaning “study” or “studying.”
In Japanese, many “noun + する” combinations work as verbs:
- 勉強する = to study
- 仕事する = to work (casual)
- 練習する = to practice
So:
- 勉強 by itself = “study” (noun)
- 勉強する = “to study” (verb = “do study”)
In the potential form (“can do”), the verb する changes to できる:
- 勉強する → 勉強できる (“can study”)
So grammatically, 勉強できる = “to be able to do study” = “can study.”
勉強 is still a noun, but it forms part of a set expression with できる that functions as a verb phrase.
できる is the potential form of する (“to do”).
- する (do) → できる (can do / be able to do)
Because 勉強する = “to study,” its potential form is 勉強できる:
- 勉強する → 勉強できる = “can study”
Other related expressions:
勉強することができる
- Literally: “it is possible to do studying.”
- Meaning = “can study.”
- Feels more formal or stiff, more often seen in writing, instructions, announcements, etc.
- In everyday speech, 勉強できる is more natural.
勉強ができる
- Structurally: “study (as a thing) is possible.”
- In context, it also often means “can study.”
- Sometimes used to mean “is good at studying / smart (academically)” depending on context:
- あの子は勉強ができる = “That kid is good at schoolwork.”
In your sentence, 勉強できる is the most natural, neutral way to say “can study.”
Before と思います, the verb almost always appears in its plain (dictionary) form, even in polite speech.
So:
- Plain: 勉強できると思う
- Polite: 勉強できると思います
Note that in the polite version, only 思います becomes polite; the clause before と stays in plain form.
❌ 勉強できますと思います is generally considered unnatural / incorrect in standard Japanese.
Standard pattern is:
- [clause in plain form] + と思います
- 行くと思います
- 難しいと思います
- 勉強できると思います
So できると思います is the correct polite form, not できますと思います.
Here, と is the quotative particle. It’s used to mark the content of a thought, statement, or perception.
Pattern:
- [content] と 思います = “I think that [content].”
- [content] と 言います = “(someone) says that [content].”
Japanese doesn’t have a separate word for English “that” in this kind of sentence; instead, it uses と to mark the quote/content.
So in:
- どこでも日本語を勉強できる と 思います。
The part:
- どこでも日本語を勉強できる = the idea/content
- と = “that” (quoting marker)
- 思います = “I think”
Together: “I think that you can study Japanese anywhere.”
Japanese often omits the subject when it’s obvious from context.
In this sentence:
- No 私 (I), no あなた (you) are written.
- But 思います is a 1st-person mental verb (“I think”), so in normal conversation we naturally understand:
- The thinker is the speaker: “I (私) think …”
Possible underlying full version:
- 私はどこでも日本語を勉強できると思います。
→ “I think (that) you/I/people can study Japanese anywhere.”
Who can “study Japanese anywhere” (you, I, people in general) is also determined by context. Japanese is very context-dependent, and leaving out obvious pronouns is completely natural.
You can rearrange some parts, but と思います itself stays at the end.
These are natural variations:
どこでも日本語を勉強できると思います。
(Original: neutral focus)日本語はどこでも勉強できると思います。
→ Emphasizes 日本語 as the topic (“as for Japanese, you can study it anywhere”).私はどこでも日本語を勉強できると思います。
→ Explicitly marks “I” as the one who thinks this.
But you don’t normally move と思います to the front:
- ❌ と思います、どこでも日本語を勉強できる。 (sounds wrong/unnatural)
In Japanese, the basic pattern is:
- [statement / clause] + と思います。 and the verb (here, 思います) naturally goes toward the end of the sentence.
Compare the two:
どこでも日本語を勉強できます。
- Straight statement: “You can study Japanese anywhere.”
- Sounds more assertive / factual.
どこでも日本語を勉強できると思います。
- “I think (that) you can study Japanese anywhere.”
- Explicitly marks it as your opinion.
- In Japanese, it also softens the statement; it sounds less forceful, more modest or tentative.
In conversation, Japanese speakers often use 〜と思います even when they are quite sure, just to avoid sounding too strong or absolute. So と思います is not always “I’m not sure”; it’s often “this is my view / I would say that…,” said in a polite, less direct way.