More Verb Forms

The Verb Conjugation guide deliberately stopped at polite, casual, and te-form. This guide covers the four remaining everyday forms: potential (can), volitional (let's / I'll), passive (it was done to me), and causative (make/let someone do). They sound advanced but appear constantly — none of these is optional for real Japanese.

Every form keys off the same ru-verb / u-verb / irregular split from Verb Conjugation. Re-read that split if "u-verb a-stem" doesn't ring a bell — it's assumed below.

Potential — "can do"

Expresses ability or possibility. Formation: ru-verbs drop る and add られる; u-verbs shift the final u sound to e and add る; する becomes the standalone verb できる, 来る becomes 来られる.

The thing you can do often takes が instead of を: 日本語が話せる ("can speak Japanese"). You'll hear を too; が is the more careful choice.

Volitional — "let's / I think I'll"

The polite volitional is just the ます-stem + ましょう (行きましょう, "let's go"). The plain volitional: ru-verbs drop る + よう; u-verbs shift final u → o + う; する → しよう, 来る → 来よう.

Beyond suggestions, 〜うと思う expresses an intention you've formed, and 〜うとする means "be about to" or "try to" do something.

Passive (受身) — "it was done"

Formation: ru-verbs drop る + られる (identical shape to the potential — context separates them); u-verbs take the a-stem + れる (言う→言われる, 読む→読まれる); する→される, 来る→来られる. The agent (the doer) is marked with に.

Japanese also has an adversity passive with no English parallel: even intransitive verbs can be made passive to show the subject was negatively affected. 雨に降られた = "I got rained on" (and it was a problem). 子供に泣かれた = "I was troubled by the child crying."

Causative (使役) — "make / let someone do"

Formation: ru-verbs drop る + させる; u-verbs a-stem + せる (飲む→飲ませる); する→させる, 来る→来させる. Whether it means make (force) or let (permit) is read from context and particles: with an intransitive verb, を on the person leans "make," に leans "let."

〜（さ）せてください ("please let me…") is the single highest-value causative pattern for a learner — it's how you ask permission to do something yourself.

Causative-passive — "be made to do"

Stacking causative + passive gives 〜させられる: someone made you do it (and you weren't happy about it). For u-verbs the full 〜せられる usually contracts to 〜される (飲ませられる→飲まされる). It's intermediate — recognize it now, produce it later.

Formation at a glance