One handy fact up front: every potential verb becomes an Ichidan verb (it ends in れる / られる), so once formed it conjugates like any other Ichidan verb - 読よめる → 読よめない, 読よめた, 読よめます.

Ichidan (Group 2)

Drop the final る and add られる.

Rule Examples
る → られる 食たべる → 食たべられる, 見みる → 見みられる, 起おきる → 起おきられる


In casual modern Japanese you will very often hear the ら dropped - 食たべれる, 見みれる. This is called ら抜らぬき言葉ことば (“ra-dropped speech”). It is extremely common in speech but still considered incorrect in formal writing, so stick with られる when writing.

Godan (Group 1)

Change the final -u syllable to its -e counterpart, then add る (the 4th stem + る).

Dictionary ending Becomes Example
く ける 書かく → 書かける
ぐ げる 泳およぐ → 泳およげる
す せる 話はなす → 話はなせる
つ てる 待まつ → 待まてる
ぬ ねる 死しぬ → 死しねる
ぶ べる 遊あそぶ → 遊あそべる
む める 飲のむ → 飲のめる
る れる 取とる → 取とれる
う える 買かう → 買かえる

Irregular (Group 3)

する has a completely separate potential word, できる - one of the first verbs every learner meets.

Verb Potential
する できる
来くる 来こられる

A note on particles

With potential verbs, the thing you can do is very often marked with が instead of を. So “I can read Japanese” is usually 日本語にほんごが読よめる rather than 日本語を読める (though を is also heard). This が pattern is the same one you already use with できる: 日本語にほんごができる.

What it is used for

Example Meaning
漢字かんじが読よめる I can read kanji
明日あした来こられますか can you come tomorrow?
ここで泳およげない you can’t swim here
納豆なっとうが食たべられるようになった I’ve become able to eat nattō


Want verbs to practise on? Try the common Godan verb lists and the 100 common Ichidan verbs.