Ashita puuru ni iku tsumoridesu
In this lesson, you will learn how to express the concepts of “WILL” and “CAN” using short forms of verbs in Japanese. These auxiliary verbs are essential for indicating future intentions and abilities, respectively.
| Short | Long | |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | — u, ru | — (i)masu |
| Negative | — anai, nai | — (i)masen |
| Past affirmative | — ta | — (i)mashita |
| Past negative | — anakatta, nakatta | — (i)masendeshita |
WILL (will in the future)
To express future intention or “will” in Japanese, you can use the short form of the verb followed by “tsumori desu”. This construction indicates a strong determination or plan to perform a particular action in the future. This phrase translates to “I intend to” or “I plan to” in English and emphasizes the speaker’s intention to carry out the action.
Short verbs + tsumori (yotei) + desu (da) = will verb
Short verbs are mostly affirmatives and negatives. Past forms are normally not used. Past negatives can be used to express “I intended…”.
kaku tsumori desu (I am going to write.)
kaku tsumori jaarimasen (I am not going to write.)
kaku tsumori deshita (I was going to write.)
kaku tsumori jaarimasendeshita (I was not going to write.)
CAN (ability)
When expressing the ability to do something in Japanese, you can use the phrase “koto ga dekimasu” after a short affirmative verb. This construction translates to “can” or “is possible,” indicating the ability to perform the action described by the verb.
The word “koto” means “thing” or “matter,” and when combined with a verb, it nominalizes the verb. This means that the verb is turned into a noun-like phrase, similar to adding “to” or “…ing” in English. For example, “taberu” means “to eat,” and “taberu koto ga dekimasu” means “can eat” or “it is possible to eat.”
It’s important to note that “koto ga dekimasu” is not typically used in casual, everyday conversation. It is considered a formal expression. In conversational Japanese, there is a different way to express ability, which involves conjugating the verb itself into its potential form. For example, the verb “taberu” in its potential form is “taberareru”, meaning “can eat.”
We will cover the conversational potential form of verbs in more detail later. For now, remember that “koto ga dekimasu” is a useful and polite way to express ability in more formal contexts.
Short affirmative verb + “koto ga dekimasu” = can verb
kaku koto ga dekimasu (I can write.)
kaku koto ga dekimasen (I cannot write.)
kaku koto ga dekimashita (I could write.)
kaku koto ga dekimasendeshita (I could not write.)
Word
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| raigetsu | next month |
| atode | later |
| tomeru | park |
| suu | smoke, swallow |
Examples
Raigetsu wa toukyou ni iku tsumoridesu.
Atode oishii keeki o taberu tsumoridesu.
Kokoni kuruma o tomeru koto ga dekimasu. (consent)
Kokode tabako o suu koto ga dekimasen. (prohibit)