Activities: "How to use Japanese potential verbs"

Complete the following potential verb conjugation table. We've done the first row for you.

• 	Short affirmative	Short negative	Short past aff.	Te form	Masu form
  食べる taberu to eat	たべられる	たべられない	たべられた	たべられて	たべられます
  見る miru to see
  話す hanasu to speak
  聞く kiku to listen
  する suru to do
  来る kuru to come

Fill in the blanks with appropriate particle(s). There may be more than one correct answer!

• 田中さんは、マンガかけます。
  Tanaka san wa manga kakemasu.
  Tanaka can draw manga (comics).

• 母は、フランス料理作れます。
  Haha wa furansu ryōri tsukuremasu.
  My mom can make French cuisine.

• ここから学校までは、バス乗れます。
  Koko kara gakkō made wa, basu noremasu.
  You can take a bus from here to school.

• 明日は久しぶりに友達会えるので、楽しみです。
  Ashita wa hisashiburi ni tomodachi aeru node, tanoshimi desu.
  I’m excited because I can see my friends after a long time tomorrow.

• 私はダンスできます。
  Watashi wa dansu dekimasu.
  I can dance.

• 字が小さすぎて、私この本読めません。
  Ji ga chiisasugite, watashi kono hon yomemasen.
  As the font is too small, it is not possible (for me) to read this book.

Complete the following sentences, using words from the word bank. Don’t forget to change verbs to their appropriate forms. For question #2, use the long potential form.

• スミスさんは日本に4年間留学したから、。
  Sumisu san wa nihon ni yo nen kan ryūgaku shita kara, ___.
  Since Smith studied abroad in Japan for four years, he can speak Japanese fluently.

  日本語[nihongo](Japanese)

  話す[hanasu](to speak)

  上手に[jōzu ni](fluently)

• 風邪をひいたから、。
  Kaze o hiita kara, ___.
  Since I caught a cold, I cannot go to work today.

  会社[kaisha](company)

  今日[kyō](today)

  行く[iku](to go)

• 子供の時はおばけが怖かったので、。
  Kodomo no toki wa obake ga kowakatta node, ___.
  I was scared of ghosts as a child, so I was not able to watch horror movies.

  ホラー映画[horā eiga](horror movie)

  見る[miru](to watch)

For the following English sentences, write O if the Japanese potential form can be used, and X if not.

• I can come to work tomorrow.

  → 明日、仕事に来られます。[Ashita shigoto ni koraremasu.]

• Can I come in?

  The Japanese potential form is not used to ask for permission. In this case, you can say 入ってもいいですか[haitte mo ii desu ka].

• I cannot eat fish.

  → 私は魚が食べられません。[Watashi wa sakana ga taberaremasen.]

• Living abroad can be hard.

  The Japanese potential form is not used to show the speaker’s opinions. In this case, you can say 外国に住むのは大変なはずだ[gaikoku ni sumu no wa taihen na hazu da].