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<p>
	In Japanese the <strong>ability</strong> to perform an action is expressed through <strong>conjugation of the verb</strong>,
	instead of by using auxiliary verbs like <strong>can</strong> and <strong>to be able to</strong>. 
	This conjugation puts the verb into the <strong>potential form</strong>.
</p>

<p>
	The potential form of all verbs ends in <strong>-る</strong>, and all potential forms are Group 2 verbs.
	Therefore, to convert a verb in potential form into <strong>-ます</strong> form,
	you simply replace the <strong>-る</strong> ending with <strong>-ます</strong>.
</p>

<p>
	How the original verb is conjugated into the potential form depends on the verb group.
</p>

<p>
	For verbs in <strong>Group 2</strong>, change the <strong>-る</strong> ending into <strong>-られる</strong>.
</p>

<table class="ui celled definition table">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Group 2 verbs</th>
			<th><ruby>食ta</ruby>べる</th>
			<th><ruby>見mi</ruby>る</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Potential form</td>
			<td><ruby>食ta</ruby>べられる</td>
			<td><ruby>見mi</ruby>られる</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polite potential form</td>
			<td><ruby>食ta</ruby>べられます</td>
			<td><ruby>見mi</ruby>られます</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Translation</td>
			<td>to be able to eat</td>
			<td>to be able to see</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	For verbs in <strong>Group 1</strong>, change the final <strong>う-sound</strong> into an <strong>え-sound</strong>,
	and add <strong>-る</strong> as ending.
</p>

<table class="ui celled definition table">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Group 1 verbs</th>
			<th><ruby>行i</ruby>く</th>
			<th><ruby>話hana</ruby>す</th>
			<th><ruby>飲no</ruby>む</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Potential form</td>
			<td><ruby>行i</ruby>ける</td>
			<td><ruby>話hana</ruby>せる</td>
			<td><ruby>飲no</ruby>める</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polite potential form</td>
			<td><ruby>行i</ruby>けます</td>
			<td><ruby>話hana</ruby>せます</td>
			<td><ruby>飲no</ruby>めます</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Translation</td>
			<td>to be able to go</td>
			<td>to be able to speak</td>
			<td>to be able to drink</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	The potential forms of, <strong>する</strong> and <strong><ruby>来ku</ruby>る</strong> are special cases.
</p>

<table class="ui celled definition table">
	<thead>
		<tr>
			<th>Special cases</th>
			<th>する</th>
			<th><ruby>来ku</ruby>る</th>
		</tr>
	</thead>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Potential form</td>
			<td>できる</td>
			<td><ruby>来ko</ruby>られる</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Polite potential form</td>
			<td>できます</td>
			<td><ruby>来ko</ruby>られます</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Translation</td>
			<td>to be able to do</td>
			<td>to be able to come</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p>
	When using the potential form, what in English would be the object, is the subject in Japanese.
	Therefore you will see the subject particle <strong>が</strong> where you would expect the object particle <strong>を</strong>.
</p>

Indicating ability with the potential form

hiragana character

kanji

adnominal

adverb

auxiliary

conjunction

compound

i-adjective

interjection

noun

na-adjective

numeral

particle

case particle

conjunctive particle

discourse particle

prefix

pronoun

suffix

verb

sentence

hiragana writing

kanji writing

kanji component

reading vocabulary

katakana writing

katakana character

godan - group 1

itidan - group 2

group 3

transitive

intransitive

proper noun

discourse

phrase

expression

adjectival noun

adverbial phrase

adjectival phrase

The verb to be

Hiragana 1

Kanji 1

Writing hiragana 1

Writing kanji 1

Hiragana 2

Kanji 2

The question particle か

Writing hiragana 2

This one and that one

Writing kanji 2

Reading exercise 1

Reading exercise 2

Hiragana 3

Negating nouns

Writing hiragana 3

The topic particle は

Kanji 3

The possession particle の

い-adjectives and な-adjectives

The subject particle が

Here and there

There is, there are

Writing kanji 3

Kanji 4

Group 1 verbs, direct and indirect objects

Group 2 verbs

Hiragana 4

Verbs in the past tense

Negating verbs

Invitations and the particle と

Negating past verbs

Writing hiragana 4

Reading exercise 3

Writing kanji 4

Reading exercise 4

Kanji 5

Nouns and the past tense

This and that

The group 3 verbs する and 来る

The discourse particles ね and よ

The location particles に and で

Hiragana 5

Writing hiragana 5

Writing kanji 5

The destination particles に and へ

Kanji 6

The origin particle から

Hiragana 6

Relative positions

Conjugating い-adjectives

Writing hiragana 6

Writing kanji 6

Hiragana 7

Writing hiragana 7

Kanji 7

Conjugating な-adjectives

How are you?

The particle も

The word ちょっと

Reading exercise 7

Question	Answer
Tanaka ^surname	田た中なかtanaka
Arabic	アラビア語ごarabiago
to be able to speak	話はなせる話はなされる話はなられる hanaseru hanasareru hanarareru
Mr. Tanaka can speak Arabic.	田た中なか　さん　は　アラビア語ご　が　話はなせます。tanaka san wa arabiago ga hanasemasu.
to be able to come	来こられる来くられる来くれる来これる korareru kurareru kureru koreru
I can't come to meet you.	あなた　に　会あい　に　来こられません。anata ni ai ni koraremasen.
shrimp	エビebi
to be able to eat	食たべられる食たべれる taberareru tabereru
I cannot eat more shrimp.	もう　えび　が　食たべられません。mou ebi ga taberaremasen.
to be able to make	作つくれる作つくられる tsukureru tsukurareru
I cannot make dinner tonight.	こんばん　夜よるご飯はん　が　作つくれません。konban yorugohan ga tsukuremasen.
village; hometown	里さとsato
(I) cannot go to my hometown now.	今いま　里さと　に　行いけません。ima sato ni ikemasen.
story; talk	話はなしhanashi
to believe; to trust	信しんじるshinjiru
to be able to believe/trust	信しんじられる信しんじれる shinjirareru shinjireru
I cannot believe this story.	私わたし　は　この　話はなし　が　信しんじられません。watashi wa kono hanashi ga shinjiraremasen.
to be able to do	できるdekiru
I can't do it.	できません。dekimasen.
whisky	ウイスキーuisukii
I cannot drink whisky.	ウイスキー　が　飲のめません。uisukii ga nomemasen.

Japanese 122 - Indicating ability with the potential form

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