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Minna no Nihongo, lesson 27

Lesson 27:

Lesson 27 of Minna no Nihongo, “Can and can't, seeing and hearing”, teaches 6 grammar patterns, including , , , and 24 words. Here is every word with romaji and English, the grammar explained with examples, and 46 example sentences.

Updated

Grammar

Can …

The potential form says what you can do. Group I verbs change the i-sound before ます to an e-sound: のみます → のめます, かきます → かけます, はなします → はなせます, かいます → かえます. Group II verbs add られ: たべます → たべられます, みます → みられます. Group III: きます → こられます, and します → できます. A potential verb is itself a group II verb: のめる, のめない, のめた.

  • Nihongo ga sukoshi hanasemasu. I can speak a little Japanese.
  • Sashimi ga taberaremasu ka. Can you eat sashimi?
  • Ashita nanji ni koraremasu ka. What time can you come tomorrow?

What you can do takes が

With a potential verb, what you can do usually takes が instead of を: かんじを よみます, but かんじが よめます. Other particles stay as they are: こうえんで およげます.

  • Hiragana ga kakemasu. I can write hiragana.
  • Gitaa ga hikemasu. I can play the guitar.
  • Intaanetto de nihon no eiga ga miraremasu. You can watch Japanese films on the internet.

Can see, can hear

みえます and きこえます are for what comes to your eyes or ears by itself: やまが みえます (the mountains are in view), とりの こえが きこえます (I can hear birds). The potential forms みられます and きけます are for having the chance to: えいがが みられます (you can watch films).

  • Heya no mado kara yama ga miemasu. I can see the mountains from my window.
  • Nami no oto ga kikoemasu. You can hear the waves.
  • Sumimasen, yoku kikoemasen. Sorry, I can't hear you well.

Be built, be ready

Besides "can", できます means that something has come into being: a building has been built or a shop has opened, a meal is ready, work is finished. えきの まえに スーパーが できました (a supermarket has opened in front of the station).

  • Eki no mae ni ookii suupaa ga dekimashita. A big supermarket has opened in front of the station.
  • Bangohan ga dekimashita yo. Dinner's ready!
  • Shukudai wa mou dekimashita ka. Have you finished your homework yet?

Only …

しか means "only", and the verb after it is always negative: ひらがなしか かけません (I can write nothing but hiragana). It stresses how little there is. 〜だけ (lesson 11) is a plainer "only" with a positive verb: ひらがなだけ かけます.

  • Hiragana shika kakemasen. I can only write hiragana.
  • Ima senen shika arimasen. I've only got a thousand yen on me.
  • Fuji-san ni wa ichido shika nobotta koto ga arimasen. I've only climbed Mount Fuji once.

は for contrast

は can set two things side by side: ひらがなは かけますが、かんじは かけません (hiragana I can write, but kanji I can't). It takes the place of が or を; after other particles it's added: にほんでは (in Japan, at least).

  • Hiragana wa kakemasu ga, kanji wa kakemasen. I can write hiragana, but not kanji.
  • Biiru wa nomimasu ga, wain wa nomimasen. I drink beer, but not wine.
  • Katakana wa mada yomemasen. I can't read katakana yet.

Vocabulary: 24 words

Verbs

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
hashirimasu run; (a car, a train) go, runWhere you run takes を: こうえんを はしります. Plain forms: はしる, はしらない, はしった.
miemasu can be seen, be visibleWhat comes into view takes が: やまが みえます (I can see the mountains). For having the chance to see something, it's みられます (えいがが みられます).
kikoemasu can be heard, be audibleとりの こえが きこえます (I can hear birds). For having the chance to hear something, it's きけます (インターネットで ラジオが きけます).
dekimasu be made, be built, be finishedAlso "can" (lesson 18): えきの まえに スーパーが できました (a supermarket has opened in front of the station), しゅくだいが できました (I've finished my homework).
hirakimasu hold, run (a class, a party)りょうりの きょうしつを ひらきます (run a cooking class).

Places and things

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
petto pet
tori bird
koe voice; (a bird's) song
nami wave
hanabi fireworks
keshiki view, scenery
sora sky
mukashi the old days, long ago
dougu tool
manshon block of flats (a big, modern one)
daidokoro kitchen
kagu furniture
hondana bookshelf
katakana katakana
gitaa guitar

Phrases and other words

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
~shika only ~ (with a negative)Always followed by a negative: ひらがなしか かけません (I can only write hiragana). 〜だけ (lesson 11) is "only" without the negative.
hokano other, anotherBefore a noun: ほかの ひと (other people).
hakkiri clearly
hotondo almost all, most; hardly (with a negative)ほとんど わかります (I understand nearly all of it), ほとんど みません (I hardly ever watch it).

Example sentences

  • Osake ga nomemasu. I can drink alcohol.
  • Hiragana ga kakemasu. I can write hiragana.
  • Kanji ga yomemasen. I can't read kanji.
  • Nihongo ga sukoshi hanasemasu. I can speak a little Japanese.
  • Sashimi ga taberaremasu ka. Can you eat sashimi?
  • Hai, taberaremasu. Yes, I can.
  • Ashita nanji ni koraremasu ka. What time can you come tomorrow?
  • Juuji ni koraremasu. I can come at ten.
  • Sumimasen. Ashita wa koraremasen. I'm sorry. I can't come tomorrow.
  • Sukii ga dekimasu. I can ski.
  • Donokurai oyogemasu ka. How far can you swim?
  • Gohyakumeetoru gurai oyogemasu. I can swim about five hundred metres.
  • Intaanetto de nihon no eiga ga miraremasu. You can watch Japanese films on the internet.
  • Gitaa ga hikemasu. I can play the guitar.
  • Kono dougu de nandemo tsukuremasu. You can make anything with this tool.
  • Nandemo tsukureru ndesu ne. You can make anything, can't you!
  • Maiasa kouen o hashirimasu. I go running in the park every morning.
  • Heya no mado kara yama ga miemasu. I can see the mountains from my window.
  • Kurakute, nani mo miemasen. It's so dark I can't see anything.
  • Tori no koe ga kikoemasu. I can hear the birds.
  • Sumimasen, yoku kikoemasen. Mou sukoshi ookii koe de hanashite kudasai. Sorry, I can't hear you well. Please speak a bit louder.
  • Nami no oto ga kikoemasu. You can hear the waves.
  • Kawa no chikaku kara hanabi ga yoku miemashita. We had a good view of the fireworks from near the river.
  • Eki no mae ni ookii suupaa ga dekimashita. A big supermarket has opened in front of the station.
  • Shukudai wa mou dekimashita ka. Have you finished your homework yet?
  • Bangohan ga dekimashita yo. Dinner's ready!
  • Hiragana shika kakemasen. I can only write hiragana.
  • Ima senen shika arimasen. I've only got a thousand yen on me.
  • Fuji-san ni wa ichido shika nobotta koto ga arimasen. I've only climbed Mount Fuji once.
  • Hiragana wa kakemasu ga, kanji wa kakemasen. I can write hiragana, but not kanji.
  • Biiru wa nomimasu ga, wain wa nomimasen. I drink beer, but not wine.
  • Doyoubi ni ryouri no kyoushitsu o hirakimasu. I run a cooking class on Saturdays.
  • Petto ga imasu ka. Have you got any pets?
  • Hai, neko ga imasu. Yes, I've got a cat.
  • Sora ni tori ga Taku-san imasu. There are lots of birds in the sky.
  • Koko wa keshiki ga kirei desu ne. The view here is lovely, isn't it?
  • Mukashi, koko wa umi deshita. Long ago, this was all sea.
  • Eki no chikaku ni atarashii manshon ga dekimashita. A new block of flats has gone up near the station.
  • Daidokoro wa semai desu ga, benri desu. The kitchen is small, but it's handy.
  • Kagu wa hotondo jibunde tsukurimashita. I made nearly all the furniture myself.
  • Kono hondana mo tsukutta ndesuka. Did you make this bookshelf too?
  • Katakana wa mada yomemasen. I can't read katakana yet.
  • Mou sukoshi hakkiri hanashite kudasai. Please speak a little more clearly.
  • Kaisha no hito wa hotondo eigo ga hanasemasu. Almost everyone at the company can speak English.
  • Terebi wa hotondo mimasen. I hardly ever watch TV.
  • Hokano kaban mo misete kudasai. Please show me some other bags too.

Conversations to practise

In the app you play one of the speakers and choose what to say, line by line, with natural Japanese voices.

  • Can you come?Mr. Matsumoto invites you to a party at his house.
  • How much can you do?At a language school, Mr. Watt asks what you can already do in Japanese.
  • What a viewKarina has moved into a new block of flats by the sea. You visit her.

Practise lesson 27

Flashcards, spelling with kana tiles, sentence building and conversations. Free to start: lessons 1 and 2 need no sign-up, 3 to 5 a free account, and lesson 6 onwards Premium.

Start lesson 27