An introduction to Japanese - Syntax, Grammar & Language

3.2. FURTHER INFLECTIONS 141

verb short potential form

Some examples to show this potential form:

”Because of (my) illness, I can’t walk that well (at the moment).”

”I wonder if this will do.”

The in this second sentence is actually a fairly important

word to know. While strictly speaking the short potential form of

,

its meaning of ”being able to go” has become overloaded with the figura-

tive meaning of ”something being able to go well”. As such, means

”being fine”, ”being good” as well as noting that something ”will do” or

”is acceptable”.

Nominalised potential

A third way to form the potential, for any verb, is by using the construction

+

. literally means ’concept’, and we already saw that
means ”be able to do”, and this in combination with a verb in
creates a generalised ability.

For instance, as mentioned earlier,

means ”being able to

see (something) (at this moment)”. Similarly,
means ”being able to
walk (at this moment)”. In contrast, and
mean being able to see, or walk, in general. Particularly with negatives,