歌います and 歌えます

[xminus1]

Hello!

Is there much of a sound distinction between 歌います and 歌えます? I've attached an audio clip in which this sentence is spoken:

ピアノを弾きながら歌えますか。​

To my ears the speaker could just as well be saying 歌います. Do native speakers hear a difference?

Thanks!

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[Toritoribe]

That's clearly 歌えますか. Probably your mishearing is from the difference in pronunciation of "i" between in English and Japanese. For instance, I felt "if" was closer to エフ in my school days.

 

[xminus1]

Thank you, Toritoribe-san! You gave me a good analogy to keep in mind, too!