ことができ
Meanings
Expression
Verb (1-dan)
Usually written in kana
1. to be able (to); to be possible (to)
usu. verb+ことが...
Top 400
Composed of
thing; matter; incident; occurrence; circumstances; situation; work
to be able (in a position) to do; to be up to the task; to be ready; to be completed; to be made; to be built; to be good at
Examples (200 in total)
I can run.
Time cannot be stopped.
Can I see that?
I can't talk.
I couldn't say no.
I couldn't refuse.
I couldn't go out because of the snow.
Can rabbits swim?
I could hardly resist laughing.
I may not be able to walk anymore.
Nobody else can know.
I'm sure I'll be able to find it.
He can't do that.
I can sleep anywhere.
Is it possible to be here a little longer?
He can't buy a car.
I can read them all.
I could not speak to him.
This bird cannot fly.
She is able to grasp the situation.
Were you able to solve the problem?
We were able to talk just like before.
Can you walk with your eyes closed?
She couldn't hold back her laughter.
People can talk but animals cannot.
You can employ him.
I couldn't restrain a smile.
Bill can ride a bicycle.
He can't make a decision.
So they were not able to dream.
Chris can't work tomorrow.
I wish I could see the ancient world.
I can comfort her.
Can you get the door to shut?
He can speak Japanese.
Dogs can't distinguish between colors.
Where can you get tickets?
No one can help me.
Reading can develop your mind.
He can play the guitar.
Were you able to open up and talk?
I cannot answer your question.
The people could repel the invasion.
I couldn't make him understand it.
Any child can do that.
I wish I could help you.
He was able to read the book.
I can convey my feelings in words.
You will be able to see him tomorrow.
We all couldn't believe it.
Can I go home early today?
Anyone can do that.
He could not believe his eyes.
He was too embarrassed to do it.
He could not believe his ears.
I could not persuade him that it was true.
I thought I could change your mind.
You are free to talk with anyone.
If you had been a little more patient, you could have succeeded.
They weren't able to discover any secrets.
He could not send his son to school.
He can't run very fast.
I should be very pleased if you could come.
I can't go with you tonight.
He is a man whom I think you cannot trust.
I can't bend him to my will.
He could not come because he was ill.
You can see the sun setting from the window.
I'm sorry that I can't meet up with you tonight.
I hope you had a good time at the party.
Animals can learn and pass on what they learn.
He can swim very fast.
Can you compute the distance of the moon from the earth?
You can't separate dreams from reality?
She could solve the problem with ease.
Anybody can solve that problem.
She can sing very well.
I thought we could eat out on the patio.
I can't imagine a world without electricity.
The baby can stand but can't walk.
We failed to bring him to agree to our plan.
We can cut down on our use of energy.
No doubt you will be able to pass the examination.
How is it that you can speak this language?
I can't get my money out of the bank today.
Nobody could refuse their invitation.
Luckily, I was able to travel abroad.
You can see the whole park from the restaurant.
In Japan we may criticize the government freely.
I wish I could be in Paris now.
Once again, I was able to escape death.
You can always ask a question in return.
Now that I have a job, I can be independent of my parents.
She can make her own dresses.
Knowledge can only be obtained by study.
She simply cannot keep her mouth shut, not even for a second.
We can see thousands of stars in the sky.
I can't remember anything about that night.
Who can afford to buy such an expensive house?
When will you be able to finish that job?
I can't figure out why he said so.
I was able to finish the work earlier than I had expected.
How can I forget about you?
The boy could not so much as write his own name.
I can give you a long life.
He managed to find a new job successfully.
I was able to answer the question correctly.
I could have helped you with your work.
I couldn't come because of the heavy rain.
But how can they do this?
The boy was so tired that he could walk no longer.
Because of these trees, he can't see the forest.
The morning sun is so bright that I cannot see it.
I cannot account for this strange happening.
Are you telling me that I can't go?
I can prove that I am right.
This stone was so heavy that I could not lift it.
I will be glad if I can be of any service to you.
The doctor arrived in time to save her.
All students have access to the library.
Cats can see in the dark.
He had no money and so could not buy any food.
It's a pity that you can't travel with us.
I can see some Japanese people here.
This bomb can kill many people.
She can play the piano very well.
All the citizens of the city have access to the city library.
You can make your dream come true by working hard.
The structure of the human body can be thought of in the same way.
They couldn't comprehend the seriousness of the matter.
I finally managed to find my lost wallet.
I couldn't shake off his hand.
This elevator is capable of carrying ten persons.
She can play this tune on the piano.
I cannot forget those kind people.
At any rate, I can go out when it stops raining.
We can derive great pleasure from books.
We were unable to finish our homework in time.
These letters can be typed by any secretary.
I was able to visit several American homes.
I was able to find out his address.
I can't solve the problem on my own.
I can't buy spare parts for this car.
Machines can do a lot of things for people today.
We could accomplish what we had started before.
I can see the top of the mountain.
It took a long time, but in the end I was able to convince him.
Can you imagine a time when the world is free of war?
The more difficult the questions are, the less likely I'll be able to answer them.
He could not adapt his way of life to the company.
If I were free, I could help you.
The boy could not keep up with activities in school.
His anger was such that he lost control of himself.
I can run the fastest of the three.
Television enables us to know what is happening today.
We are different from animals in that we can speak.
This novel is too difficult for me to read.
His help enabled me to finish the work.
This problem is too difficult to deal with.
The two brothers couldn't get along with each other.
We can get a lot of valuable information from the book.
However hard I try, I can never catch up with him.
Nobody can do two things at once.
It took us a long time, but finally we were able to find it.
Can you communicate in English what you want to say?
We can have dogs, cats, birds, and so on.
In such a case, you can always ask a question in return.
Those questions can be answered quite simply.
The boy is afraid to go to bed in the dark.
Thanks to his bold decision, he was able to ride out the crisis.
Nothing can force me to give it up.
The rain prevented us from playing baseball.
The store can supply us with anything we need.
You can't buy this kind of cheese at most supermarkets.
Do you know if Lucy can speak Japanese?
Yes, I will be able to forget my busy work and relax.
I was able to take a great photo during this morning's walk.
With the money he was able to buy a new car.
I could not accept that my wife was really dead.
There were cars burning, people dying, and nobody could help them.
I bought every book on Japan I could find.
How can I get my toddler to eat vegetables?
He couldn't move and had to call for help.
In many ways, animals can do things better than people can.
Sometimes when it's very cold, I can't get my car to start.
I left home later than usual, but I was still able to catch my train.
That's too small a box to hold all these things.
It can accommodate as many as ten people.
Ken is so busy that he can't come.
This room can hold fifty people.
She could read when she was four.
Can you swim across the river?
He could listen to seven people at once.
At most 10 people can sit round the table.
This airplane accommodates 400 passengers quite comfortably.
Yes. He can run 100 meters within twelve seconds.
She will be able to swim in a week.
She was able to solve the problem in ten minutes.
You could count to ten when you were two years old.
Ants can lift things that are more than 50 times their own weight.