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JLPT N4Verb Forms

られる(Potential) — Physics of Ability

The potential form turns an action into an ability ("can do"). Unlike English, where "can" is a separate word, Japanese changes the verb itself, and the focus shifts from the action to the STATE of it being possible.

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Pro lessonUNIT 50 · VERB FORMS

Structure · 形

u-verb: -u → -e + る (書く→書ける) | ru-verb: drop る + られる (食べる→食べられる)

Examples · 例文

  • この野菜は生で食べられます。

    Kono yasai wa nama de taberaremasu.

    This vegetable can be eaten raw.

    食べる (eat) → 食べられる (can be eaten)

  • 漢字が少し読めます。

    Kanji ga sukoshi yomemasu.

    I can read kanji a little bit.

    読む (read) → 読める (can read)

  • 彼女はフランス語が話せる。

    Kanojo wa furansugo ga hanaseru.

    She can speak French.

    話す (speak) → 話せる (can speak)

Usage notes · 注意

  • The Object Marker Shift: Because potential describes a STATE, the object marker を often shifts to が (漢字を読む → 漢字が読める).
  • The Ra-Nuki Shortcut: In casual speech, many drop the 'ra' from ru-verb potentials (食べられる → 食べれる). Technically nonstandard, but very common.
  • Irregulars: する → できる (to be able to do). 来る → 来られる (read こられる; casual ra-nuki: 来れる = これる).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones られる is tested against.

vsられる (passive)

Identical shape for ru-verbs (食べられる). Potential = 'can do' (object often が); passive = 'is done to me' (agent marked に). Context decides.

vsできる

できる is the potential of する, and also expresses ability with noun+が (料理ができる); the -eru/-rareru pattern conjugates the verb itself.

vsことができる

[dictionary verb]+ことができる is a longer, slightly more formal way to say 'can do', equivalent in meaning to the potential form.

More verb forms

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