GrammarJLPT N5
→ to be able to do
To Be Able to Do / To Be Possible / To Come into Existence
JLPT N5Conjugation patternNeutral
できる is one of the most versatile and frequently used verbs in Japanese. At its core, it expresses ability or possibility — 'can do' or 'is possible.' It functions as the potential form of the verb する (to do), so whenever you want to say 'can do [something],' you use できる rather than a potential conjugation of する. Beyond ability, できる also means 'to come into existence,' 'to be completed,' or 'to be made,' describing things that have been formed, built, or produced. In colloquial speech it can also mean 'to be good at' something, or even describe a romantic relationship forming between two people. Unlike the pattern ことができる, which attaches to the dictionary form of any verb to express ability, できる on its own pairs directly with nouns (marked by the particle が) to indicate what one is able to do. Because it is an ichidan (ru-verb) intransitive verb, it conjugates regularly: できます (polite), できない (negative), できた (past), etc. Learners should note that the thing one 'can do' is typically marked with が, not を, since できる is intransitive.
Functions
#1 Expressing ability with a noun
Structure
Noun + が + できる
私は日本語ができる。
This is the most common use of できる: expressing that someone has the ability to do something. The skill or subject is marked with the particle が. Here, 日本語ができる means 'I can do Japanese,' which naturally conveys the ability to speak, read, or use the language. Note that the subject of ability takes が, not を, because できる is an intransitive verb.I can speak Japanese.
Structures
- Noun (ability/possibility)
- Noun + が + できる
- Verb (ability/possibility)
- Verb (dictionary form) + ことが + できる
- Something comes into existence
- Noun + が + できる
Common mistakes
A very common mistake is using the particle を instead of が with できる, such as saying 日本語をできる instead of the correct 日本語ができる. Since できる is intransitive, the object of ability takes が. Another frequent error is trying to conjugate する into a potential form like すれる or される to mean 'can do'; the correct potential form of する is always できる. Learners also sometimes confuse できる (ability/possibility) with わかる (to understand); while 日本語ができる means 'can use Japanese,' 日本語がわかる means 'understand Japanese.' Finally, beginners may not realize that できる can mean 'to come into existence' and misinterpret sentences like ビルができた as 'could do a building' rather than 'a building was built.'
Related
Verb[potential form]ことができるられる (potential)得る (える/うる)可能 (かのう)