Ikeru is the Japanese potential verb for ‘can go’, explained

What does “ikeru” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “ikeru” often to mean ‘can go’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this potential verb as it is often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this verb together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “ikeru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “ikeru”
  • Example #1: how to say “can go” in Japanese
• Ikenai: the nai form of “ikeru”
  • Example #2: how to say “cannot go” in Japanese
• Ikemasu: the masu form of “ikeru”
  • Example #3: how to say “can go” politely in Japanese
• Iketa: the ta form of “ikeru”
  • Example #4: how to say “could go” in Japanese
• Ikete: the te form of “ikeru”
  • Example #5: how to say “can go” in Japanese
• Ikereba: the ba form of “ikeru”
  • Example #6: how to say “if can go” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “ikeru”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “ikeru”.

• ikeru – 行ける (いける) : a potential verb meaning ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.

The definition and meanings are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this potential verb through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “can go” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : a noun meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence. In the example, this works as an adverb in the middle of the sentence to say ‘every day’ in Japanese.
• kaimono – 買い物 (かいもの) : a noun meaning ‘shopping’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to indicate the purpose of an action in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kaimono” to indicate the purpose of the action described by “ikeru”.

This is a typical usage of “ikeru”. It often works together with the case particle, “ni”, to have the object like in this example. When we want to mean ‘can go’ in Japanese, anyway, this potential verb is a very good option.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ikeru” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain Its major conjugations. The first one is “ikenai”.

Ikenai: the nai form of “ikeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “ikenai”.

• ikenai – 行けない (いけない) : the nai form of “ikeru”, which means ‘cannot go’, ‘not to be able to go’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “ikenai” consists of the following two parts:

• ike – 行け (いけ) : one conjugation of “ikeru”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.

From these two parts, we can understand that “ikenai” is literally the nai form of “ikeru” and means ‘cannot go’, ‘not to be able to go’, or such in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “cannot go” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• tokyo – 東京 (とうきょう) : a noun meaning ‘Tokyo’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “tokyo” to say where the speakers cannot go.

This is a typical usage of “ikenai”. When we want to mean ‘cannot go’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.

Ikemasu: the masu form of “ikeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “ikemasu”.

• ikemasu – 行けます (いけます) : the masu form of “ikeru”, which politely means ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “ikemasu” consists of the following two parts:

• ike – 行け (いけ) : one conjugation of “ikeru”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “ikemasu” is literally the masu form of “ikeru” and means ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ politely in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “can go” politely in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its possessive case, “kanojo no”, which means ‘her’ in Japanese.
• ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.

This is a typical usage of “ikemasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “can go” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.

Iketa: the ta form of “ikeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “iketa”.

• iketa – 行けた (いけた) : the ta form of “ikeru”, which means ‘could go’, ‘was able to go’, ‘were able to go’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “iketa” consists of the following two parts:

• ike – 行け (いけ) : one conjugation of “ikeru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “iketa” is literally the ta form of “ikeru” and means ‘could go’, ‘was able to go’, ‘were able to go’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “could go” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• nippon – 日本 (にっぽん) : a noun meaning ‘Japan’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “iketa”. When we want to use the past tense form of “ikeru”, this ta form is the best option.

Ikete: the te form of “ikeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “ikete”.

• ikete – 行けて (いけて) : the te form of “ikeru”, which means ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “ikete” consists of the following two parts:

• ike – 行け (いけ) : one conjugation of “ikeru”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “ikete” is literally the te form of “ikeru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “ikete” is very useful when we want to use “ikeru” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “can go” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• hatarakeru – 働ける (はたらける) : a potential verb meaning ‘can work’ or ‘to be able to work’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “ikete”. In this example, it has the smooth connection with “hatarakeru”. When we want to use “ikeru” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.

Ikereba: the ba form of “ikeru”

Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “ikereba”.

• ikereba – 行ければ (いければ) : the ba form of “ikeru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “ikereba” consists of the following two parts:

• ikere – 行けれ (いけれ) : one conjugation of “ikeru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two parts, we can understand that “ikereba” is literally the ba form of “ikeru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “ikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #6: how to say “if can go” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say whom the speaker wants to meet.
• ai – 会い (あい) : one conjugation of the verb, “au”, which means ‘to see’ or ‘to meet’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• tai – たい : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its desire form. In the example, this is used after “ai” to make its desire form, “ai tai”, which means ‘to want to meet’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “ikereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “tokyo ni ikereba”, which means ‘if I can go to Tokyo’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘can go’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “ikeru” and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• ikeru – 行ける (いける) : a potential verb meaning ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.
• ikenai – 行けない (いけない) : the nai form of “ikeru”, which means ‘cannot go’, ‘not to be able to go’, or such in Japanese.
• ikemasu – 行けます (いけます) : the masu form of “ikeru”, which politely means ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.
• iketa – 行けた (いけた) : the ta form of “ikeru”, which means ‘could go’, ‘was able to go’, ‘were able to go’, or such in Japanese.
• ikete – 行けて (いけて) : the te form of “ikeru”, which means ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.
• ikereba – 行ければ (いければ) : the ba form of “ikeru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘can go’ or ‘to be able to go’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.