Potential Form (〜られる/〜える): How to Say You 'Can' Do Something
How to build it
Formation depends on the verb group:
| Group | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| る-verbs (Group 2) | drop る + られる | 食べる → 食べられる (can eat) |
| る-verbs | drop る + られる | 見る → 見られる (can see) |
| う-verbs (Group 1) | final u → e + る | 書く → 書ける (can write) |
| う-verbs | final u → e + る | 読む → 読める (can read) |
| う-verbs | final u → e + る | 話す → 話せる (can speak) |
| する (irregular) | → できる | できる (can do) |
| 来る (くる) | → 来られる (こられる) | 来られる (can come) |
For う-verbs, you move the final sound one row down the kana chart to the e-line: か→け, む→め, す→せ, ぐ→げ, ぶ→べ, う→え, つ→て, ぬ→ね, る→れ. Then add る. So 行く→行ける, 泳ぐ→泳げる, 待つ→待てる, 買う→買える.
The two irregulars are worth over-learning, because they show up constantly. する → できる is so common it almost stops feeling irregular: any noun + する verb rides on it, so 運転する → 運転できる ("can drive"), 勉強する → 勉強できる ("can study"). And 来る → 来られる(こられる) is the one う-verb-looking irregular that still takes られる.
ヤッタンの弟はもう運転できます。
ヤッタンの おとうとは もう うんてんできます。
Yattan's little brother can already drive.
If you'd rather not memorize every ending, there's a more formal alternative you already know from N5: 〜ことができる, where you attach ことができる to the dictionary form (話すことができる = 話せる). It means the same thing but sounds a touch stiffer, and it's handy when a verb's potential ending feels awkward.
What it lets you say
Once built, the potential form expresses ability or possibility — "can do" or "be able to do." Instead of saying you do something, you say you are able to do it. And the result behaves like a brand-new る-verb (an い-stem verb), so you conjugate the ending normally: 話せる → 話せない, 話せました; 食べられる → 食べられない, 食べられました.
ヤッタンは日本語が話せます。
ヤッタンは にほんごが はなせます。
Yattan can speak Japanese.
There's one twist that comes with the meaning: the object often switches from を to が. When a verb becomes potential you're no longer acting on the object — you're describing your ability regarding it — so 日本語を話す becomes 日本語が話せる.
ヤッタンはひらがなが書けます。
ヤッタンは ひらがなが かけます。
Yattan can write hiragana.
Plain 書く takes を; potential 書ける prefers が.
You will hear を used too, especially in casual speech, and it isn't wrong — but が is the safer, more natural default for the test and for clean writing.
The conjugation traps
A handful of predictable slips catch learners here:
- Mixing up the groups. 書く is a う-verb, so it's 書ける, not 書けられる. Only る-verbs (and 来る) take られる.
- Forgetting the が shift. With potential, the object usually takes が: 日本語が話せる, not 日本語を話せる (を is acceptable casually, but が is the default).
- Saying できられる. する's potential is just できる — never add られる to it.
- Using ら-抜き on the test. In everyday spoken Japanese, people drop the ら from the potential of る-verbs and 来る: 食べられる → 食べれる, 見られる → 見れる, 来られる → 来れる. This is ら-抜き言葉 ("ら-dropped words"). It's fine with friends but marked as informal, so write 見られる, 食べられる for anything graded.
ヤッタン、これ食べれる？
ヤッタン、これ たべれる？
Yattan, can you eat this?
Casual ら-抜き form of 食べられる.
In use
この漢字が読めますか。
この かんじが よめますか。
Can you read this kanji?
モチはまだ自転車に乗れません。
モチは まだ じてんしゃに のれません。
Mochi can't ride a bike yet.
乗る→乗れる, then negative 乗れない.
先生はフランス語も話せます。
せんせいは フランスごも はなせます。
The teacher can speak French too.
モチは明日のパーティーに来られません。
モチは あしたの パーティーに こられません。
Mochi can't come to tomorrow's party.
来る→来られる(こられる); negative 来られない.
The short version
- Potential = "can / be able to." る-verbs → drop る + られる; う-verbs → u-sound to e-sound + る.
- Irregulars: する → できる, 来る → 来られる(こられる).
- The object often shifts from を to が: 日本語が話せる.
- The result acts like a る-verb: 話せる → 話せない, 話せました.
- Casual ら-抜き (食べれる) is common in speech but informal.
Practice it
Choose the correct potential form and particle for each verb.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
ヤッタンはひらがなが＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between 〜られる and 〜ことができる?
They both mean 'can do.' The potential form (話せる, 食べられる) is shorter and more common in everyday Japanese. 〜ことができる (話すことができる) is a bit more formal and sounds stiffer, but the meaning is the same.
Should I use を or が with the potential form?
が is the natural default: 日本語が話せる. You'll hear を in casual speech and it isn't wrong, but が is safer for writing and the JLPT.
Is 食べれる (without ら) correct?
It's very common in casual conversation — that's ら-抜き言葉. But it's considered informal, so use the full 食べられる in writing, formal situations, and on the JLPT.
Why does 来られる look the same as the passive form?
For る-verbs and 来る, the potential and passive forms are identical (見られる, 来られる). Context tells them apart — and one reason ら-抜き (見れる) caught on is that it makes the potential meaning clear.
Where Potential Form fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜ことができる · N5 — 〜ことができる expresses ability: dictionary-form verb + ことができる ('can do'). Learn the verb pattern, the noun + ができる pattern, the polite and negative forms, and how it compares to the potential form.
More N4 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ようになる — 〜ようになる describes a change — something that wasn't true or possible before, but now is. Learn the formation, nuance, and see 12 example sentences with a quick practice quiz.
- 〜始める・〜続ける・〜終わる・〜出す — Compound verbs of phase: add 〜始める, 〜続ける, 〜終わる, or 〜出す to a verb's ます-stem to say start, keep, finish, or suddenly begin doing something.
- 〜てある — 〜てある marks a state someone created on purpose: 窓が開けてある ('the window has been opened'). Learn the formation, the が particle, and how it differs from 〜ている.
- 〜ていく — 〜ていく has two big jobs: doing something then going (持っていく = take along), and a change continuing from now into the future (暑くなっていく). See how it mirrors 〜てくる.
- 〜てくる — 〜てくる has three core uses: go do something and come back, a change that has built up until now, and something approaching you in space or time. Learn each, plus how it differs from 〜ていく.
- 〜ておく — 〜ておく means doing something in advance or leaving something as it is. Learn the formation from the て-form, the past 〜ておいた, 〜ておきたい, and the casual 〜とく contraction.