Teach Us, Teacher
Expressions of ability or potential (Lesson 41)
You can express ability or potential if you use the dictionary form of verbs, and attach to it KOTO GA DEKIMASU (can do / Literally, can do the thing of).Let's make a sentence, using KOTO GA DEKIMASU. When you say "I can go," "I" is WATASHI. "To go" is IKIMASU. And its dictionary form is IKU. To this, you add KOTO GA DEKIMASU. So, you say WATASHI WA IKU KOTO GA DEKIMASU (I can go / Literally, I can do the thing of going).


The potential form of IKIMASU (to go) is IKEMASU (can go). It basically means the same thing as IKU KOTO GA DEKIMASU. But IKEMASU is more casual.