koto ga dekimasu - Can do something
Today I will cover the use of “koto ga dekimasu” which means “can do something”.
Example
Can speak Japanese - Nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu
Cannot speak Japanese - Nihongo wa hanasu koto ga dekimasen
Meaning : Hanasu (Speak)
The verb shall be the original form (third sound) and it has to be placed just before the “koto ga…”. In the example above “hanasu” (sa shi su se so).
Another Example
Q : Can you make Japanese food? - Nihon ryōri o tsukuru kota ga dekimasu ka?
A : Yes, I can make Japanese food - Hai, nihon ryōri o tsukuru koto ga dekimasu
A : No, I cannot make Japanese food - Iie, nihon ryōri wa tsukuru koto ga dekimasen
Meaning : Ryōri (Food), Tsukuru (Make)
It’s easy. Go on, practise it and you should be able to master the usage in a short time.
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January 10th, 2007 at 4:18 am
I have a question. I see that you use o for dekiru and wa for dekinai. So, what would you use for a sentence like “kyou wa gakkou ni iku koto ga dekinai”? I know you could say “kyou wa gakkou ni ikenai” but is it possible to use dekiru/dekinai here?
Thanks a lot for making this site! Good information!
January 10th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Hi Adam
Yes, you can use dekinai but “wa” should be used instead of “ga”
kyou wa gakkou ni iku koto
gawa dekinai“ga” is used when for “dekiru”
Hope this help
January 13th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Ahh, I understand. Thank you!
January 13th, 2007 at 7:56 am
You are always welcome, Adam
April 27th, 2008 at 1:44 am
Hi, I have a question, what´s the exact meaning of “dekiru dekinai?”
as I understand… is it “can,can not?”
please correct me if I am wrong
April 27th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Hi Hanna,
You are correct.
December 11th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Tony can we use noun before ga dekimasu. like ‘dansu ga dekimasu’
December 11th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Hi Tya,
If you are referring to this lesson, then No. “koto ga dekimasu” can only use verb before “koto”
Thanks
April 18th, 2009 at 6:06 am
Hello,
Can you say “Watashi wa Dansu suru koto ga dekimasu”?
Thanks
April 18th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hi Bill,
Yes, you can use that. Nice try. Thanks
April 2nd, 2010 at 9:23 am
hi
would i say
neru koto ga dekinai
or
neru koto wa dekinai
??
thankyou
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:14 am
Hi Alex, should be “neru koto wa dekinai”
April 6th, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Hi Tony,
why is it “neru koto wa” und nicht “neru koto ga”?
In the lesson at the very top of this page you only write “koto ga”, never “koto wa”.
Thanks beforehand
Greetings from Germany
April 6th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
LOL I mean “and not” instead of the German “und nicht”… ;o)
Sorry for that…
April 6th, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Hi Scelestion,
Well, this depend on the sentence. Most of the examples that I have posted above has a “noun” follow by “wa”. This is why “koto ga dekimasen” is used.
If noun is not being used before that, then koto wa dekimasen is used. In Japanese, most of the time a “noun” is used.
November 11th, 2010 at 10:43 am
wait so its wa if there is not noun and ga if there is a noun?
ex
sawaru WA dekimasen
Neko o sawaru GA dekimasen
are those right?
November 11th, 2010 at 10:44 am
***I mean Koto ga/ Koto wa
December 31st, 2010 at 11:41 am
Hi! I was translate from english to spanish when I realized that the song have a phrase without traduction. Can you help me, please? It’s for my english class XD
bokura wa doko mademo tsukuru
December 31st, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Hi Alep3,
It means - “I will be there no matter where it is”
March 21st, 2011 at 1:51 am
hi i just want to say thanks for the information in this site is very useful i couldnt find this information on the net until i get this site go on publishing lessons
April 12th, 2011 at 1:04 am
hi i’m asking can u teach me Japanese?
April 28th, 2011 at 12:26 am
I could teach you…just give a an e mail add
May 19th, 2011 at 5:17 am
Hi:
Is there any difference between this and the ptnential form? I’m studying Japanese now, and we learned the potential conjugation for “can”.
I can sleep.
Neru koto ga dekiru
Vs.
Nerareru
Are they interchangable? If so, is one used more often/does one sound more natural?
May 19th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
Both are interchangeable. Most common is Nerareru
November 18th, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Hi!
Can I say “John san wa nihongo o dekimasu” ?
November 22nd, 2011 at 3:14 am
Rachel:
You always use the particle “ga” instead of “o” for dekiru. So it would be:
John san wa nihongo GA dekimasu
or
John san wa nihongo wo hanasu koto ga dekimasu
January 2nd, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Awesome. Thanks alot!