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N4

Potential Form I: How to Make It

Build the potential form correctly for godan verbs, ichidan verbs, and the irregular verbs する and 来る.

Form the potential for the main verb groups.Recognize common potential forms in reading.Use the potential form for ability and possibility.
Guided study

How to form the potential

For ichidan verbs, replace る with られる. For godan verbs, change the final う-row sound to the え-row and add る. する becomes できる, and 来る becomes 来られる. In everyday materials, this is the standard form to learn first.

食べる → 食べられる

eat → can eat

書く → 書ける

write → can write

する → できる

do → can do

Practice guides for this lesson

Use these hub pages to connect this lesson with related reading practice and grammar paths.