Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com! The Japanese grammar guru is back! Today a new grammatical structure using the potential verb dekiru is introduced. This useful structure will allow you to express the potential of any verb without conjugating the verb itself! Inside the PDF, we have a detailed breakdown of this construction, so don’t miss this one!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 31st, 2006 at 10:04 pm and is filed under Beginner Lessons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
15 Responses to “Beginner Lesson #77 - What Can Your Baby Do?”
JapanesePod101.com says:
May 31st, 2006 at 10:04 pm
Mina-san,
Today’s location is ラオス・Raosu. Hello to all of our listeners in Laos! Grammar buffs rejoice, as today’s lesson includes a very useful construction! Let us know what you think!
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!
Hanspeter says:
May 31st, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Great dialog - just as real life.
As father of two (half-) japanese boys i´d like to have more of this.
赤ん坊のおむつを取りかえる 【あかんぼうのおむつをとりかえる】
おむつを替える 【おむつをかえる】
and so on, perhaps more half- japanese families listening? 
Hanspeter
Peter says:
May 31st, 2006 at 10:34 pm
皆さん、お子さん was the word we were talking about in todays lesson. It consists of the Kanji for child -子 plus the honorific prefix o- and suffix -san. 
Peter says:
May 31st, 2006 at 10:38 pm
Hanspeterさん、must have just missed you. Thanks for all the help in the forum! It is truly appreciated.
Glad you liked the dialogue! We’ll try to have more of these, and some other topics too! Anything topic in particular?
JockZon says:
June 1st, 2006 at 12:35 am
This lesson were really good, I was just going to ask the question about dekiru and other verbs added to this one but I listened to this first and you took all of my questions up. Arigatou gozaimashita. Watashi wa nihongo wo katarimasu koto ga dekimasu (Maybe this is right 
)
Anyway, excellent lesson. 
Harv says:
June 1st, 2006 at 2:44 am
JockZonさん
Watashi wa nihongo wo kataru koto ga dekimasu.
私は日本語を語ることが出来ます
Harv says:
June 1st, 2006 at 2:45 am
I think thats right. It’s what I was taught. You were very close 
JockZon says:
June 1st, 2006 at 5:03 am
Yeah, so you should use the Plain Affirmative before koto ga dekimasu?
Harv says:
June 1st, 2006 at 5:16 am
JockZonさん
yeah, you just need to use plain affirmative (simple form)
This website might be helpful
http://www.thejapanesepage.com/dekiru.htm
bakaneko says:
June 1st, 2006 at 12:02 pm
Only plain affirmative nonpast?
Can you say “話さないことができますか？” to mean “Can you not speak?”
Eddy says:
June 1st, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I like your pod cast, just read about in on a blog and figured I would take a look.
More english descriptions followed by the Japanese would be good to have. Also making it interactive, where I can test my own progress would be handy.
じゃあまた
Daniel Beck says:
June 1st, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Takeさん、
When are you going to start using 「さん」? 
Peterさん、
I am willing to offer terms of peace. 
-Daniel B
Hugo says:
June 1st, 2006 at 9:30 pm
Harv-san very good page, a lot of useful information!
Very good lesson as always! Greetings to everyone!
Tim says:
June 2nd, 2006 at 12:17 am
Baka neko….
In the case of “can you not speak?” you would add the negative to the dekiru verb not the hanasu verb. Same for all other conjugations so instead of:
話さないことができますか?
It would be:
hanasu koto ga dekimasenka?
same for past conjugation:
hanasu koto ga dekimasendeshita
(I couldn’t speak)
This is a common grammar point in Japanese. Whenever you link verbs together the conjugation goes on the last verb.
bakaneko says:
June 2nd, 2006 at 8:12 am
Oh, but aren’t the two statements “Can you not speak?” and “Can’t you speak?” saying different things?
How would you express these two statements in Japanese?
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