Japanese Lesson 22 - I Can Do It!

[Starry Starry Fright]

Another lesson? Madness!

So far, we have covered quite a few verb forms for saying you generally do something ( わたしはよみます。I read.) but we have not yet covered how to expressed that you CAN do something.

It's time to change that.

In this lesson, I will be teaching you a verb form called potential form. If you want to say you are capable of doing a particular thing, this is the form you should use. First, you need to decide if the verb is an u-verb, a ru-verb, or an irregular.

U-VERB

To convert to potential form, change the last syllable of the root to an "e" sound and add "masu". Let's see some examples!

読む (よむ) (yomu, or in "masu" form, yomimasu) - 'to read'

To put this in potential form, we need to change the "mu" to "me":

yomemasu - I can read.

Some more examples for you:

あそびます(to play) becomes あそべます(can play)

のみます(to drink) becomes のめます (can drink)

およぎます(to swim) becomes およげます (can swim)

のります(to ride) becomes　のれます (can ride)

RU-VERBS:

This is even easier. Drop the "masu" and add "raremasu" for "masu".

たべます(to eat) becomes たべられます(can eat)

かけます(to write) becomes かけられます (can write)

ねます(to sleep) becomes ねられます (can sleep)

IRREGULARS

These, as always, are about memorization.

します(to do) becomes できます(can do)
　
きます(to come) becomes　こられます(can come)

As usual, if you have any questions or comments about this lesson, post them for me or the very talented Kai Shi here!  

[silversea13]

So how would you say you "cannot" so something?
And also isn't this lesson 22?  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

So it like the do verbs but also it like congratulating them.  

[Kai Shi]

silversea13

So how would you say you "cannot" so something?
And also isn't this lesson 22?

Yep, lesson 22 biggrin

As far as how to do the negative form, its very simple. It works just like the normal 'masu' form does.

Example:

たべます　－＞　たべません
tabemasu tabemasen

たべられます　－＞　たべられません
taberaremase taberaremasen  

[Kai Shi]

Kai's demo sentences that you hear a lot in Japan:

漢字を読めますか？
kanji wo yomemasuka.

Can you read kanji?

はしを使えますか?
hashi wo tsukaemasuka?
(tsukau=to use)
Can you use chopsticks?  

[Starry Starry Fright]

silversea13

So how would you say you "cannot" so something?
And also isn't this lesson 22?

You can make this verb form negative just like a "masu" verb.

さかなをたべられません。 - sakana wo taberaremasen - I cannot eat fish.

... yes, this should be lesson 22. Whoops! I'll fix that. sweatdrop  

[Bloody Rosen Knight]

I have yet to memorize Kanji and hirigana and the others symbols..... can someone give me the irregular verb changes not using the japanese symbols please? sweatdrop  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

can someone give me more example of sentences when using irregular verbs and others.  

[Bloody Rosen Knight]

Starry Starry Fright

U-VERB

To convert to potential form, change the last syllable of the root to an "e" sound and add "masu". Let's see some examples!

読む (よむ) (yomu, or in "masu" form, yomimasu) - 'to read'

To put this in potential form, we need to change the "mu" to "me":

yomemasu - I can read.

Some more examples for you:

あそびます(to play) becomes あそべます(can play)

のみます(to drink) becomes のめます (can drink)

およぎます(to swim) becomes およげます (can swim)

のります(to ride) becomes　のれます (can ride)

RU-VERBS:

This is even easier. Drop the "masu" and add "raremasu" for "masu".

たべます(to eat) becomes たべられます(can eat)

かけます(to write) becomes かけられます (can write)

ねます(to sleep) becomes ねられます (can sleep)

IRREGULARS

These, as always, are about memorization.

します(to do) becomes できます(can do)
　
きます(to come) becomes　こられます(can come)

As usual, if you have any questions or comments about this lesson, post them for me or the very talented Kai Shi here!

*raises hand* Etto.... Can you show me how to do this without using japanese symbols? I haven't mastered them yet.... please Starry-sensei?  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

So it like the do verbs but also it like congratulating them. It sort like the Spanish version it. But it in Japanese.  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

another new word how to say dance in japanese?  

[Silverfin]

Kawaii Yami Rorita

another new word how to say dance in japanese?

odoru 踊る , conjugates as an u-verb  

[Nana Shinu Ai]

arigato gozaimasu.