Advanced Verb Forms

🎭 The Four Magic Powers of Japanese Verbs

Imagine you’re a superhero. You have one basic power—but wait! You can transform that power in FOUR different ways to do amazing things!

That’s exactly what Japanese verbs can do. Today, we’ll unlock these four magical verb forms. By the end, you’ll feel like a Japanese language superhero!

🌟 The Universal Analogy: The Transformer Toy

Think of a Japanese verb as a transformer toy.

• The basic form is like the toy in its default shape
• Each advanced form is a different transformation—same toy, different power!

🎯 Potential Form: “I Can Do It!”

What Is It?

The potential form is your “CAN DO” power. It tells everyone what you’re able to do.

Simple Example:

• “Eat” → “Can eat”
• “Read” → “Can read”
• “Swim” → “Can swim”

How to Make It

For Ru-verbs (Group 2): Drop る, add られる

食べる (taberu) → 食べられる (taberareru)
   eat    →    can eat

For U-verbs (Group 1): Change the last sound to the “e” row, add る

読む (yomu) → 読める (yomeru)
  read   →   can read

泳ぐ (oyogu) → 泳げる (oyogeru)
  swim    →   can swim

Irregular verbs:

する (suru) → できる (dekiru)
  do    →   can do

来る (kuru) → 来られる (korareru)
 come   →   can come

Real-Life Magic

🍣 At a restaurant: 日本語が話せます (Nihongo ga hanasemasu) “I can speak Japanese!”

🏊 At the pool: 泳げますか？ (Oyogemasu ka?) “Can you swim?”

The Secret Tip

Notice something cool? When you CAN do something, the particle changes from を to が!

寿司を食べる → 寿司が食べられる
(I eat sushi) → (I can eat sushi)

🤝 Volitional Form: “Let’s Do It Together!”

What Is It?

The volitional form is your “LET’S GO!” power. It invites people to join you or shows your strong will to do something.

Simple Example:

• “Eat” → “Let’s eat!”
• “Go” → “Let’s go!”
• “Study” → “Let’s study!”

How to Make It

For Ru-verbs (Group 2): Drop る, add よう

食べる (taberu) → 食べよう (tabeyou)
   eat    →    let's eat

For U-verbs (Group 1): Change last sound to the “o” row, add う

行く (iku) → 行こう (ikou)
  go   →   let's go

読む (yomu) → 読もう (yomou)
 read   →   let's read

Irregular verbs:

する (suru) → しよう (shiyou)
  do    →   let's do

来る (kuru) → 来よう (koyou)
 come   →   let's come

Two Super Powers in One

The volitional form has two meanings:

1. Invitation: “Let’s do it together!”
2. Strong Will: “I’m going to do it!”

🎬 To a friend: 映画を見よう！ (Eiga wo miyou!) “Let’s watch a movie!”

💪 To yourself: 頑張ろう！ (Ganbarou!) “I’m going to do my best!”

The Magic Phrase: ～ようとする

Add とする to show you’re trying to do something:

食べようとする = trying to eat
逃げようとする = trying to escape

😔 Passive Form: “It Happened To Me”

What Is It?

The passive form is your “IT WAS DONE TO ME” power. It flips the action—instead of YOU doing something, something is done TO you.

Simple Example:

• “The dog bit me” → “I was bitten by the dog”
• “Someone stole my bike” → “My bike was stolen”

How to Make It

For Ru-verbs (Group 2): Drop る, add られる

食べる (taberu) → 食べられる (taberareru)
   eat    →    is eaten

For U-verbs (Group 1): Change to the “a” row, add れる

読む (yomu) → 読まれる (yomareru)
 read   →   is read

叩く (tataku) → 叩かれる (tatakareru)
  hit    →    is hit

Irregular verbs:

する (suru) → される (sareru)
  do    →   is done

来る (kuru) → 来られる (korareru)
 come   →   is come (arrived upon)

The Japanese Twist: Suffering Passive

In Japanese, passive often means something bad happened to you:

😢 Your sandwich: ケーキを食べられた (Keeki wo taberareta) “My cake was eaten (by someone)!” = “Someone ate my cake!”

🌧️ Bad luck: 雨に降られた (Ame ni furareta) “I was rained on” = “I got caught in the rain”

Helpful Pattern

[Person] に [Action]られる
(by whom)   (passive verb)

先生に褒められた
(I was praised by the teacher)

👑 Causative Form: “I Make/Let You Do It”

What Is It?

The causative form is your “BOSS” power. You make someone do something OR you let someone do something.

Simple Example:

• “Make him eat vegetables” (like a parent)
• “Let her play outside” (giving permission)

How to Make It

For Ru-verbs (Group 2): Drop る, add させる

食べる (taberu) → 食べさせる (tabesaseru)
   eat    →    make/let eat

For U-verbs (Group 1): Change to “a” row, add せる

読む (yomu) → 読ませる (yomaseru)
 read   →   make/let read

行く (iku) → 行かせる (ikaseru)
  go   →   make/let go

Irregular verbs:

する (suru) → させる (saseru)
  do    →   make/let do

来る (kuru) → 来させる (kosaseru)
 come   →   make/let come

Two Meanings: Boss vs. Kind Person

Making someone (a bit bossy):

👨‍👧 Parent to child: 野菜を食べさせる (Yasai wo tabesaseru) “I make (my child) eat vegetables”

Letting someone (kind and giving permission):

👨‍👧 Parent to child: 遊ばせる (Asobaseru) “I let (my child) play”

The Particle Clue

• に = letting (permission)
• を = making (forcing)

子供にゲームをさせる → Let the child play games
子供をゲームさせる → Make the child play games

🔄 Seeing All Four Together

Let’s see our transformer verb 食べる (taberu = to eat) in all four forms:

graph TD
    A["食べる<br/>to eat"] --> B["食べられる<br/>CAN eat"]
    A --> C[食べよう<br/>LET'S eat]
    A --> D["食べられる&lt;br/&gt;IS eaten"]
    A --> E["食べさせる&lt;br/&gt;MAKE/LET eat"]

    style A fill:#667eea,color:#fff
    style B fill:#48bb78,color:#fff
    style C fill:#ed8936,color:#fff
    style D fill:#9f7aea,color:#fff
    style E fill:#f56565,color:#fff

Quick Practice

🎉 You Did It!

You just learned the four advanced verb forms in Japanese:

1. 🎯 Potential → Express ability (“I can!”)
2. 🤝 Volitional → Invite or show will (“Let’s go!”)
3. 😔 Passive → Describe what’s done to you (“It was taken!”)
4. 👑 Causative → Control others’ actions (“I’ll make/let you!”)

Your Transformation Chart

Remember: Every Japanese verb is a transformer. Now you know how to activate all four special modes!

🌟 Pro Tip: The potential and passive forms for Ru-verbs look the same (られる). Context tells you which is which!

食べられる = “can eat” OR “is eaten” How do you know? Look at the situation!

Now go transform some verbs! You’ve got the power! 🚀