Question Potential Forms
- Thread starter 黃祖偉
- Start date
- 5 May 2013
- 962
- 509
聞こえる is it's own verb for when a sound is audible.
聞ける is the potential form for other potential uses of 聞く, usually 'can ask' but also sometimes for 'can hear' in the sense of ability.
見える is again its own verb used for all the potentials of "can see".
見られる is the passive and potential of 見る. It's used for all passive cases, but can be used for the potential in some cases,
mostly in the sense of having sight.
～ことができる is when used with 見る・聞く is mostly for a meaning like "has the ability to", but fundamentally the phrase
just means "(subj) can ~" and any verb phrase can be made into a potential with this grammar, and then used in many ways.
聞ける is the potential form for other potential uses of 聞く, usually 'can ask' but also sometimes for 'can hear' in the sense of ability.
見える is again its own verb used for all the potentials of "can see".
見られる is the passive and potential of 見る. It's used for all passive cases, but can be used for the potential in some cases,
mostly in the sense of having sight.
～ことができる is when used with 見る・聞く is mostly for a meaning like "has the ability to", but fundamentally the phrase
just means "(subj) can ~" and any verb phrase can be made into a potential with this grammar, and then used in many ways.
- Thread starter
- #3
So are there distinctive usages for ～ことができる and ～える and ～られる and inherent potential forms?聞こえる is it's own verb for when a sound is audible.
聞ける is the potential form for other potential uses of 聞く, usually 'can ask' but also sometimes for 'can hear' in the sense of ability.
見える is again its own verb used for all the potentials of "can see".
見られる is the passive and potential of 見る. It's used for all passive cases, but can be used for the potential in some cases,
mostly in the sense of having sight.
～ことができる is when used with 見る・聞く is mostly for a meaning like "has the ability to", but fundamentally the phrase
just means "(subj) can ~" and any verb phrase can be made into a potential with this grammar, and then used in many ways.
- 22 Feb 2008
- 18,266
- 4,926
聞こえる vs. 聞ける and 見える vs. 見られる are special cases. These are exceptions, so you need distinguish these verbs from potential forms or ～ことができる of other verbs.
- Thread starter
- #6
Now, I know this topic is evident throughout my posts so far, but I still need to ask about any and all rules and exceptions to potential forms. For example, are there some words that can use only ことができる? Does replacing this with the verbs own potential form (for example, 食べられる and 食べることができる) change the meaning at all? Please, anything that will end my confusion. Place everything and anything you know.
- 5 May 2013
- 962
- 509
That's simply too big of a question to answer directly. It's not clear what you're confused about.
Concrete examples of sentences you're trying to say or trying to understand would help.
No. All verbs have a potential form, it's a basic part of verb conjugation.
Essentially, 食べられる means "can eat" while 食べることができる means "eating is possible". The underlying
meaning is the same, but 食べられる is a normal way of speaking while 食べることができる sounds quite
analytical. You also, obviously, can't split 食べられる in half if you want to put something in the middle, e.g.
食べることが彼にはできなかった⇒Eating (it) was, for him, impossible.
- Thread starter
- #8
Thanks very much! I just felt that my questions, despite the efforts of others, were left unanswered.
