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Breakdown of 〜koto ga dekiru
がga
subject particle
できるdekiru
to be able to do
〜こと〜koto
thing; situation; verb nominalizer
Usages of 〜koto ga dekiru
それ を 見ること が できます か。sore wo mirukoto ga dekimasu ka.
Can I see that?
日本語 を 話すこと が できます。nihongo wo hanasukoto ga dekimasu.
(I) can speak Japanese.
鼻 で 息 を すること が できない。hana de iki wo surukoto ga dekinai.
(I) can't breathe through my nose.
ピアス を すること が できません。piasu wo surukoto ga dekimasen.
(I) cannot wear earrings.
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
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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