Action, state, or ability?
Choose ている, a potential form, or ことができる by meaning.
ている can describe an action in progress, a resulting state, or a repeated situation depending on the verb and context. 読んでいます is am reading; 住んでいます means live in a place. It is not a universal equivalent of English “is doing.”
Dictionary form + ことができます expresses ability. Potential verb forms offer another pattern: 読める, 食べられる, できる, and 来られる. Their polite forms are 読めます, 食べられます, できます, and 来られます.
Examples
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- いま、imanow
- ほんhonbook
- をoobject markerUsually pronounced o. Marks what the action affects; English often expresses this through word order.
- よんでいます。yondeimasuam reading (polite)Here, ている describes an action in progress.
“I” is understood from context here; there is no written Japanese word for it in this sentence.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- とうきょうtoukyouTokyo
- にnilocation marker
- すんでいます。sundeimasulive (ongoing state, polite)
“I” is understood from context. There is no written word for “I” in this Japanese sentence.
How the words match
Tap a word in either language to see its partner. Some phrases work as a group; particles explain the grammar.
- およぐoyoguswim
- ことができます。kotogadekimasucan / be able to (polite)こと turns the action into a noun-like phrase; ができます expresses ability.
“I” is understood from context here; there is no written Japanese word for it in this sentence.
Keep in mind
Ability is different from permission. Use てもいいですか when asking whether an action is allowed.