29. Can できます

There are a few of ways to say “I can…” in Japanese. The easiest is できます dekimasu. Let’s look at how to form some sentences.

CAN + NOUN [できます]

日本語　が　できます。
nihongo ga dekimasu.
I can (speak) Japanese. [I can do Japanese.]

漢字　が　できます。
kanji ga dekimasu.
I can (read/write) kanji. [I can do kanji.]

スカイダイビング　が　できます。
sukaidaibingu ga dekimasu.
I can skydive.

CAN + VERB [こと　が　できます]

Actually, the above are all shortened versions without the verb. Let’s add the verb + koto. koto means thing, but here it is used to make a verb a noun phrase so it will work with dekimasu.

Let’s look at the same examples, but with the verb.

日本語　を　話す　こと　が　できます。
nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu.
I can speak Japanese.

漢字　を　読む　こと　が　できます。
kanji o yomu koto ga dekimasu.
I can read kanji.

Be creative and come up with things you can do!

FOR MORE ON THIS …

100 GRAMMAR POINTS

Chapter One (1-12)

Chapter Two (13-25)

Chapter Three (26-37)

Chapter Four (38-50)

Chapter Five (51-62)

Chapter Six (63-75)

Chapter Seven (76-87)

Chapter Eight (88-100)

Exclusive Deal For You The Complete Japanese Reader Collection. This bundle set includes ALL NINE Volumes of the Japanese Reader Collection in digital format (this bundle would cost $44.90 elsewhere). Download instantly and begin improving your Japanese reading skills (PDFs, ePub, MOBI), listening abilities (MP3s), and vocabulary. ONLY $16 - One Time Payment. An amazing value! Click the image below to learn more.