Questions tagged [potential-form]
可能形. The conjugated form that allows the verb to express ability.
114
questions
2
votes
1answer
108 views
Distinguishing polite form and potential form in speech
Not sure if this question is opinion based, but I think it's worth trying to ask.
Can native/fluent speakers easily distinguish the sound difference between the polite and potential forms of a verb in ...
1
vote
1answer
96 views
Potential form and ～限り
映画が好きなので、時間とお金が（ ）かぎり見に行っている。
I haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer as to why 許す in plain dictionary form works better here than 許せる, the potential form.
動詞につく場合は、ている形や可能動詞などにつくことが多い。
...
0
votes
0answers
40 views
僕が強くならなきゃ from 月の大きさ song [duplicate]
I believe that it means I have to become strong but I don't really know how the grammar works in the sentence. I know it's using 強い and I guess なる in potencial form
Pleas explain to me how this works
0
votes
1answer
97 views
Transitive, Intransitive and Potential Verbs
Do all tadoshi verbs have a jidoushi verb to pair with?
How do you differentiate volitional and non-volitional form verbs? Do we categorise them like we do for jidoshi (intransitive form) eg. Action ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
~ていられる - present progressive and potential?
This a line from "good morning call"
その横で平気な顔していられるか？
Next to that can you wear a cool face ?
How would one explain ~て いる in its potential form ~て いられる ?
I understand it as "Next to ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
には agent or object of the potential form?
This sentence is translated as: "In the end I could never beat him, not even once" by JTest4You
結局彼には、一度も勝てなかった
So the agent in I which is assumed here. But I was under the impression that ...
3
votes
1answer
126 views
Did the られる potential form come from 得る?
One of the shows I've been watching lately kept using some more classical forms of Japanese for style purposes, that I was not too familiar with ; this led me to notice how 得る{える} was often used as an ...
0
votes
1answer
119 views
Potential form of 言う - 言える - an ichidan verb?
The potential form of the godan verb [言]{い}う is [言]{い}える. I searched [言]{い}える in an online dictionary today, but it listed [言]{い}える, the potential form, as an ichidan verb.
It even gave a conjugation ...
0
votes
0answers
82 views
Does/Can the “standalone” 来る have a passive form in Japanese? [duplicate]
Due to my dictionary 来られる would be the passive as well as potential form.
Potential form is clear: 来られる? -> Can you come?
But I have great trouble imagining a sentence of 来られる in the passive ...
0
votes
1answer
68 views
The 「上がれる」 in this sentence
Taken from 「イエスタデイをうたって２」
Context: One guy wants to visit a female friend (who he barely knows) while she is sick. This is their conversation when he suddenly stops before entering her house:
「...
1
vote
1answer
186 views
About the specific difference between 見えます and 見られます
I have a question about the specific usage of 見えます and 見られます.
As already explained on the net, 見えます is used when something is visible to the speaker or comes into view. 見られます is used instead, when ...
2
votes
1answer
282 views
Why is the potential form of 滑る 滑れる and not 滑られる？
For る-verbs we usually drop る and replace it with られる but I noticed this exception?
3
votes
1answer
118 views
Meaning of verb + つもりも + potential verb + 程
In a letter by a mangaka at the end of a manga, I encountered the following sentence:
〝正しいこと〟なんて描くつもりも描ける程、自分を上等とも思っていないけど〝つまらないこと〟だけはしないようにしていきたいなって思います
Is verb + つもりも + potential verb + 程 a ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
What’s the difference between “書けるか” and “書けますか“?
What’s the difference between “書けるか“ and “書けますか” (Can you write?). I read the rule for the potential form, but then in an example it said ます on the end instead of る. So do both work and what’s the ...
2
votes
1answer
176 views
「から」 and the potential form in 「～ことから～言える」
The entire sentence was:
この種の文は、次に示すように、いくつかの属性を並立させて記述することができることからも記述文であると言える。
「～ことからも～言える」 here means something like "judging from this fact, it can be said that..." or "based on this fact, it ...
6
votes
1answer
205 views
Potential verbs with and without ようになる
According to http://www.guidetojapanese.org/surunaru.html:
Since potential verbs describe a state of feasibility rather than an
action [...] it is [sic] often used in conjunction with 「～ようになる」 to ...
2
votes
0answers
166 views
Can someone explain to me how “としまして” is formed?
Could someone help me by explaining how this is formed?
The question here refers to an answer to my question (second comment on answer), but I don't understand it:
Could someone help with the ...
6
votes
1answer
214 views
Potential forms of verbs that have gained a spontaneous meaning (e.g., 泣ける)
English
I was thinking about the word 泣ける and how it has a usage where it's not really a potential — in particular its usage where it gets used to mean something was moving and caused the speaker to ...
2
votes
1answer
156 views
Distinguish between homonyms & potential form
How can you distinguish two verbs when the dictionary form of one is exactly the same as the "potential" form of another. E.g:
開く [Godan verb with ku ending, intransitive verb] (Potential form: 開ける)...
1
vote
1answer
345 views
Meaning of もてり and use of が
白き布 もて盤上を 磨きたり 人は心に 鏡をもてり。
Is もてり 持てる？ If so, in that case why does a potential verb have the が particle?
5
votes
2answers
114 views
Difference between using ていない/ている and just ない/る when used with potential (られる) form
I was surfing online for Japanese articles and chanced upon this sentence:
初めて飛行機に乗ったうちの子どもは静かに座っていられませんでした
which translates to:
my child who sat on a plane for the first time, couldn't sit quietly.
...
3
votes
1answer
128 views
誰も + potential verb form
I'm pretty sure "誰にも読めない本" is correct. However, I have also heard something in the same vein as "誰も読めない本", without the に. Is this also correct?
If so, does も replace が here?
2
votes
0answers
163 views
が in the expression “耳が聞こえない”
I tried to translate this phrase literally and came up with "(My) ears can't hear". Since the expression means "(I'm) deaf", this makes sense.
However, I can't really get it to work grammatically, ...
4
votes
1answer
134 views
Combination of causative-passive and intransive verb with a direct object?
I am struggling to understand this sentence’s structure:
宿題を時間内に終わらせられなかった。
I think I get the idea of causative-passive as in “I was being made to finish the homework”. However, I noticed that we ...
3
votes
1answer
132 views
Why can には here ONLY mean にとっては?
日本人には________かもしれないが、私たち外国人にとっては、_________はとても大変なことです。
So I answered the first blank with 漢字が簡単に書ける and the second one with 漢字を書くの.
My Japanese teacher, who is a native, told me that it should be ...
2
votes
0answers
76 views
Why is this sentence using が here? [duplicate]
娘が一人で服が着られるようになった。
着る is supposed to take を but it's using が here. Why?
0
votes
1answer
105 views
Why is there を coupled with potential form?
For full context:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/web_tokushu/2018_1130.html?utm_int=news_contents_tokushu_002
The sentence in question:
その後、適切なケアを受けられないと、「次の子どもを愛せない」など深刻なケースにつながることが分かってきました。
My ...
1
vote
1answer
172 views
ていい after potential form
I was listening to the song 命に嫌われている and came across the following lyrics:
寂しいなんて言葉でこの傷が表せていいものか
そんな意地ばかり抱え今日も一人ベッドに眠る
I don’t understand what ていい is doing here. An attempt at a direct ...
0
votes
1answer
111 views
is 持てる potential form or continuous tense
I am learning japanese grammar via Tae Kim (http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar). I read that to change a u-verb to potential form, replace the -u ending with a -e ending and add -ru. For ...
4
votes
2answers
361 views
Two questions about “can”
If 食べれる means "can eat", 食べれます means the same but polite, and 食べれません means "can not eat" but in its polite form, how do I say "can not eat" in the nonpolite form?
Another little question: how can I ...
3
votes
2answers
190 views
Why would you use 見えます instead of 見ます?
In the song イドラサーカス sung by 鏡音{かがみね}リン, there is the line, 「青{あお}い空{そら}が汚{よご}れて見{み}えますか？」I translated it using て as the present continuous. "Can you see the blue sky becoming dirty?"
Is my translation ...
6
votes
1answer
348 views
Is there a good etymological reason why the potential form in Japanese requires the が particle?
Is there a good etymological reason why the potential form in Japanese requires the が particle?
When dealing with the -たい suffix, which also requires the -が particle for what in other languages would ...
3
votes
1answer
341 views
Is there a reason why the passive and the potential form are identical (at least for える/いる verbs)?
Is there a reason why the passive and the potential form in Japanese are identical (at least for える/いる verbs)? I mean, does one etymologically derive from the other? Or were they perhaps modelled on a ...
1
vote
1answer
69 views
人間は普通ここに来れんのになあ I Know it means Humans Cannot Come here usually
人間は普通ここに来れんのになあ I Know it means Humans Cannot Come here usually.
but doesn't 来られます Means can come Potential Form But 来れ Then ん Confuses me.
4
votes
2answers
166 views
生徒が分かる and 彼が見える and Intransitivity
I have been searching all internet and haven't found an "acceptable" answer for it yet. I hope you guys can help me!
I was reading a text in the website KawaJapa about 分かる and the sentence 日本語が分かる. ...
4
votes
2answers
218 views
How to use 満足する
A statement by North Korea:
話し合いの結果、韓国と意見が合って満足できた。
The result of the discussions was that we agree with the views of South Korea and are satisfied.
I understand 満足する to mean 'to be satisfied', ...
2
votes
1answer
832 views
「たら〜のに」Grammar help!
I've looked up the 「たら〜のに」grammar, and the site says it means "would have/could have" but I'm having trouble with the potential verb 食える. I know it means "can eat" but I don't know the English ...
0
votes
1answer
127 views
Potential verb + でも: meaning?
The sentence is:
あの 狐ねばばあに 餌付けでも されたか？
餌付け - is a potential form of the verb.
What role is でも playing here?
2
votes
1answer
220 views
A question about the particle used with potential form
As I know, when the potential form of a verb is being used, direct object particle "を" should not be used. Instead, が or は should be used. So when should we use which? For example,
富士山が 登れた
...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How can I conjugate a past-potential verb?
The conjugation rules for present-potential and past verb forms are well-documented online, but there doesn't seem to be as much information about past-potential conjugations.
If we can conjugate the ...
3
votes
3answers
199 views
What is the difference between できる and 能う?
能う is translated as being able to do something or having capability to do something. How is its meaning and usage different from できる and potential form of a verb?
4
votes
1answer
245 views
What is this 連用形+ゆる grammar? How is it different from the potential form?
I have come across this grammar a lot lately:
連用形+ゆる
For example, in this comment,
文語と現代語を交じたる文はインターネットで見ゆるなあ
I've also heard しゆる. Judging from the context I think that this grammar is similar ...
1
vote
1answer
79 views
Potential following の that follows a noun
顔の見えない誰かに...
I wonder how this is translated as '(to) someone that cannot see their faces'.
I thought at first that 見えない誰か, as a modified noun, is connected to 顔 with の to mean 'someone that cannot ...
1
vote
2answers
190 views
Parsing potential phrase modifying a noun
From Hirameki Hatsume-chan Vol 1, chapter 71
How does the sentence in the third panel translate, and who is doing what to whom? Is it a potential and the どうぐ is "enabling" him to have good dreams or ...
0
votes
2answers
350 views
What 生きていけたら means here?
So I was listening to this song and practing a bit while doing so. When trying to translate this line the results I got so far were:
そう信じてこれから生きていけたらどれだけ素敵なんだろう
So believe me/it, from now on ... how ...
3
votes
1answer
194 views
function of 一度 in the following sentence
In the sentence: 一度にケーキを全部は、とても食べられない。
I am confused about the function and placement of 「一度」.
Also, the object is the 'cake' because of the particle を, but why is it followed by 全部 as the subject?
...
1
vote
1answer
197 views
“Can do” Form grammar?
Watashi wa hon o yomeru hayai dekiru. = I can read books quickly.
I know that you can either conjugate the verb to be -eru or -rareru, or you could leave the verb in the plain form and add "koto ga ...
3
votes
1answer
129 views
How do these negations differ? (Plain negative vs. potential negative)
本当よ響ちゃん。私たちは帰らなかったんじゃなくて帰れなかったの
響 - Hibiki (name of a character)
So the storie goes like Hibiki goes in search of her friends who haven't come back in 2 weeks. When she founds them she asks them "...
2
votes
2answers
958 views
Is Mierareru the potential form of Mieru?
The verb mieru appears to be able to conjugate to mierareru (potential form).
If it is so, what is the meaning of mierareru and how is it different from mieru?
To my knowledge mieru = "can see". So ...
1
vote
1answer
244 views
In the phrase 「褒められたものではない」, why is 「褒められた」 in past tense (as opposed to present tense 「褒められる」)? [duplicate]
For reference, there's an entry in 実用日本語表現辞典: 褒められたものではない
