～ことができる
be able to / can do
～ことができる is the basic way to say “can” or “be able to” in Japanese. Take the dictionary form of a verb and add ことができる: こと turns the action into a “thing”, and できる means “is possible”.
Word for word, 話すことができる is like saying “the act of speaking is possible”, in natural English, simply “can speak”.
1. Ability
Use ～ことができる to talk about a skill someone has.
日本語を話すことができます。
“I can speak Japanese.”
- 日本語（にほんご）= Japanese (language)
- を = object marker (marks what is spoken)
- 話す（はなす）= to speak
- ことができます = can, am able to
2. Possibility
The same pattern also says that something is possible in a place or under certain conditions, not just personal skill.
ここで切符を買うことができます。
“You can buy tickets here.”
- ここ = here
- で = marker for the place where an action happens
- 切符（きっぷ）= ticket
- を = object marker
- 買う（かう）= to buy
- ことができます = can, is possible
To say you cannot do something, change できます to できません. Japanese also has a shorter potential form (話せる = can speak), but ～ことができる is clear, works with every verb, and sounds slightly more formal.
How to form it
Verb dictionary form + ことができる
- 話す（はなす）= to speak → 話すことができる（はなすことができる）= can speak
- 食べる（たべる）= to eat → 食べることができる（たべることができる）= can eat
- 泳ぐ（およぐ）= to swim → 泳ぐことができる（およぐことができる）= can swim
Key idea
～ことができる wraps an action in こと to make it a “thing”, then says that thing is possible, whether because of someone's skill or because the situation allows it.
Built on the same stem
Updated .