The motion verbs can also be used in time expressions to move forward or come up to the present.
1. 冬に⼊って、コートを着ている⼈が増えていきます。
Entering winter, people wearing coat will increase (toward the future). 2. ⼀⽣懸命、頑張っていく！
Will try my hardest (toward the future) with all my might!
3. ⾊々な⼈と付き合ってきたけど、いい⼈はまだ⾒つからない。
Went out (up to the present) with various types of people but a good person hasn't been found yet. 4. ⽇本語をずっと前から勉強してきて、結局はやめた。
Studied Japanese from way back before and eventually quit.
4.6
Potential Form
4.6.1
Expressing the ability to do something
In Japanese, the ability to do a certain action is expressed by conjugating the verb rather than adding a word such as the words "can" or "able to" in the case of English. All verbs conjugated into the potential form become a ru-verb.
4.6.2
The Potential Form
Vocabulary 1. ⾒る【み・る】(ru-verb) - to see 2. 遊ぶ【あそ・ぶ】(u-verb) - to play 3. する (exception) - to do 4. 来る【く・る】(exception) - to come 5. 出来る【で・き・る】(ru-verb) - to be able to do 6. ⾷べる【た・べる】(ru-verb) - to eat 7. 着る【き・る】(ru-verb) - to wear 8. 信じる【しん・じる】(ru-verb) - to believe 9. 寝る【ね・る】(ru-verb) - to sleep4.6. POTENTIAL FORM CHAPTER 4. ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR 12. 掛ける【か・ける】(ru-verb) - to hang 13. 調べる【しら・べる】(ru-verb) - to investigate 14. 話す【はな・す】(u-verb) - to speak 15. 書く【か・く】(u-verb) - to write 16. 待つ【ま・つ】(u-verb) - to wait 17. 飲む【の・む】(u-verb) - to drink 18. 取る【と・る】(u-verb) - to take 19. 死ぬ【し・ぬ】(u-verb) - to die 20. 買う【か・う】(u-verb) - to buy 21. 漢字【かん・じ】- Kanji 22. 残念【ざん・ねん】(na-adj) - unfortunate 23. 今週末【こん・しゅう・まつ】- this weekend 24. ⾏く【い・く】(u-verb) - to go 25. もう - already
Once again, the conjugation rules can be split into three major groups: ru-verbs, u-verbs, and exception verbs. However, the potential form of the verb 「する」 (meaning "to do") is a special exception because it becomes a completely different verb: 「できる」 (出来る)
• For ru-verbs: Replace the 「る」 with 「られる」. Example: ⾒る→ ⾒られる
• For u-verbs: Change the last character from a / u / vowel sound to the equivalent / e / vowel sound and add 「る」.
Example: 遊ぶ→ 遊べ→ 遊べる • Exceptions:
1. 「する」 becomes 「できる」 2. 「くる」 becomes 「こられる」
�Remember that all potential verbs become ru-verbs.
CHAPTER 4. ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR 4.6. POTENTIAL FORM Sample ru-verbs Plain Potential ⾷べる ⾷べられる 着る 着られる 信じる 信じられる 寝る 寝られる 起きる 起きられる 出る 出られる 掛ける 掛けられる 調べる 調べられる Sample u-verbs Plain Potential 話す 話せる 書く 書ける 遊ぶ 遊べる 待つ 待てる 飲む 飲める 取る 取れる 死ぬ 死ねる 買う 買える Exception Verbs Plain Potential する できる くる こられる
It is also possible to just add 「れる」 instead of the full 「られる」 for ru-verbs. For example, 「⾷ べる」 becomes 「⾷べれる」 instead of 「⾷べられる」 . I suggest learning the official 「られる」 conjugation first because laziness can be a hard habit to break and the shorter version, though common, is considered to be slang.
Examples
1. 漢字は書けますか？ Can you write kanji?
2. 残念だが、今週末は⾏けない。
It's unfortunate, but can't go this weekend. 3. もう信じられない。
I can't believe it already.
4.6.3
Potential forms do not have direct objects
Vocabulary 1. 富⼠⼭【ふ・じ・さん】- Mt. Fuji 2. 登る【のぼ・る】(u-verb) - to climb 3. 重い【おも・い】(i-adj) - heavy 4. 荷物【に・もつ】- baggage 5. 持つ【も・つ】(u-verb) - to holdThe potential form indicates that something is possible but no actual action is actually taken. While the potential form remains a verb, since it is describing the state of something you must not use the direct object 「を」 as you have done with regular verbs. For example the following sentences are incorrect.
4.6. POTENTIAL FORM CHAPTER 4. ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR
2. 重い荷物を持てます。 Here are the corrected versions:
1. 富⼠⼭が登れた。
Was able to climb Fuji-san. 2. 重い荷物は持てます。
Am able to hold heavy baggage.
4.6.4
Are 「⾒える」 and 「聞こえる」 exceptions?
Vocabulary 1. ⾒える【み・える】(ru-verb) - to be visible 2. 聞こえる【き・こえる】(ru-verb) - to be audible 3. 今⽇【きょう】- today 4. 晴れる【は・れる】(ru-verb) - to be sunny 5. 富⼠⼭【ふ・じ・さん】- Mt. Fuji 6. 友達【とも・だち】- friend 7. おかげ - thanks to 8. 映画【えい・が】- movie 9. ただ - free of charge; only 10. ⾒る【み・る】(ru-verb) - to see11. こと - event, matter
12. 出来る【で・き・る】(ru-verb) - to be able to do 13. 久しぶり【ひさ・しぶり】- after a long time 14. 彼【かれ】- he; boyfriend
15. 声【こえ】- voice
16. 聞く【き・く】(u-verb) - to ask; to listen 17. 周り【まわ・り】- surroundings
18. うるさい (i-adj) - noisy
19. ⾔う【い・う】(u-verb) - to say
CHAPTER 4. ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR 4.6. POTENTIAL FORM
There are two verbs 「⾒える」 and 「聞こえる」 that mean that something is visible and audible, respectively. When you want to say that you can see or hear something, you'll want to use these verbs. If however, you wanted to say that you were given the opportunity to see or hear something, you would use the regular potential form. However, in this case, it is more common to use the type of expression as seen in example 3.
Examples
1. 今⽇は晴れて、富⼠⼭が⾒える。
(It) cleared up today and Fuji-san is visible. 2. 友達のおかげで、映画はただで⾒られた。
Thanks to (my) friend, (I) was able to watch the movie for free. 3. 友達のおかげで、映画をただで⾒ることができた。
Thanks to (my) friend, (I) was able to watch the movie for free.
You can see that example 3 uses the generic noun for an event to say literally, "The event of seeing movie was able to be done." which essentially means the same thing as 「⾒られる」. You can also just use generic noun substitution to substitute for 「こと」.
1. 友達のおかげで、映画をただで⾒るのができた。
Here's some more examples using「聞く」, can you tell the difference? Notice that「聞こえる」always means "audible" and never "able to ask".
1. 久しぶりに彼の声が聞けた。
I was able to hear his voice for the first time in a long time.
2. 周りがうるさくて、彼が⾔っていることがあんまり聞こえなかった。
The surroundings were noisy and I couldn't hear what he was saying very well.
4.6.5
「ある」, yet another exception
Vocabulary1. そんな - that sort of 2. こと - event, matter
3. 有り得る【あ・り・え・る／あ・り・う・る】(ru-verb) - to possibly exist 4. 彼【かれ】- he; boyfriend