"Can you ?" questions

Codo-san Konnichiwa!

Yes, this is a bit tricky. Let me try to explain:

Note the following - U-ending verbs:
tsukau "to use" :arrow: drop the 'u' and add 'eru' :arrow: tsuakaeru "can use"
iku "to go" :arrow: drop the 'u' and add 'eru' :arrow: ikeru "can go"
hanasu "to speak/talk" :arrow: drop the 'u' and add 'eru' :arrow: hanaseru "can speak/talk"

To form the polite versions of these three "CAN" verbs (tsukaeru, ikeru, hanaseru) you need to replace -RU with -MASU, so you get tsukaemasu, ikemasu, hanasemasu. And, to make these questions, we just add the particle -KA :arrow: tsuakemasu ka? ikemasu ka? hanasemasu ka? "Can you use?" "Can you go?" "Can you speak?*

Now, taberu or "to eat" is a -RU ending verb so to form the CAN-verb we need to follow these rules:
taberu "to eat" :arrow: drop the 'ru' and add 'rareru' :arrow: taberareru "can eat"

To form the polite version of taberareru "Can eat" we need to replace -RU with -MASU - which gives us taberaremasu "I can eat". To make this a CAN YOU? question we add the question particle KA :arrow: taberaremasu ka? "Can you eat?"

:idea: As you can hopefully see, tabe masu ka? does not ask "CAN you eat?" but rather "DO you eat?" and hence is NOT a "Can you?" question.

Hope that helps!

Sayaka

Codoさん。

こんにちは。キエンです。

私が知っている限りに、日本語の動詞のタイプが三つあります。下記のようです。
●Type1：
　読む（yomu）、書く（kaku）、聞く（kiku）、行く（iku）、遊ぶ（asobu）など
●Type2：
　食べる（taberu）、寝る（neru）など
●Type3：
　する（suru）、来る（kuru）

可能形（can form）に変更するのは：
●Type1：
　「u」→「eru」になります。
　　例えば：
　　　　読む（yomu）→読める（yomeru）
　　　　書く（kaku）→書ける（kakeru）
●Type2：
　「ru」→「rareru」
　　例えば：
　　　食べる（taberu）→食べられる（taberareru）
●Type3：
　来る（kuru）→来られる（korareru）

以上です。

Hope this help.

I am sory that I can' t explain in English.

Kien.

Quote from Codo
ありがとうございます

I understand most of what you explained, except the 2 sentences which include a lot of kanji that i can't translate by myself. If someone would be willing to translate: 私が知っている限りに、日本語の動詞のタイプが三つあります。下記のようです。, it would be perfect.

Thank you in advance

Codo-san Konnichiwa :]
Not sure if you still need this, or if you've already figured it out. Just felt like posting anyway:
"私が知っている限りに、日本語の動詞のタイプが三つあります。下記のようです。" roughly translates as: "As far as I know, there are three types of Japanese verbs. Is as follows."
Hope that helped, even though it is kind of late.
Ja na ^^
~grey

aaa, so it wasn't that important , but thanks for the reply .