Utaeru is the Japanese potential verb for ‘can sing’, explained

What does “utaeru” mean in Japanese?

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

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “utaeru”
  • Example #1: how to say “can sing” in Japanese
• Utaenai: the nai form of “utaeru”
  • Example #2: how to say “cannot sing” in Japanese
• Utaemasu: the masu form of “utaeru”
  • Example #3: how to say “can sing” politely in Japanese
• Utaeta: the ta form of “utaeru”
  • Example #4: how to say “could sing” in Japanese
• Utaete: the te form of “utaeru”
  • Example #5: how to say “can sing” in Japanese
• Utaereba: the ba form of “utaeru”
  • Example #6: how to say “if can sing” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “utaeru”

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

• utaeru – 歌える (うたえる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ 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 sing” 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.
• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun which refers to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “uta” to say “this song” in Japanese.
• uta – 歌 (うた) : a noun meaning ‘song’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kono uta” to make the object in the sentence.

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

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “utaeru” 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 “utaenai”.

Utaenai: the nai form of “utaeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “utaenai”.

• utaenai – 歌えない (うたえない) : the nai form of “utaeru”, which means ‘cannot sing’ or ‘not to be able to sing’ in Japanese.

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

• utae – 歌え (うたえ) : one conjugation of “utaeru”. 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 “utaenai” is literally the nai form of “utaeru” and means ‘cannot sing’ or ‘not to be able to sing’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• nihongo – 日本語 (にほんご) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese’ or ‘the Japanese language’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “nihongo” and “uta”. The formed phrase literally means ‘Japanese songs’ in Japanese.

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

Utaemasu: the masu form of “utaeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “utaemasu”.

• utaemasu – 歌えます (うたえます) : the masu form of “utaeru”, which politely means ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.

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

• utae – 歌え (うたえ) : one conjugation of “utaeru”. 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 “utaemasu” is literally the masu form of “utaeru” and means ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ politely in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese.
• eigo – 英語 (えいご) : a noun meaning ‘English’ or ‘the English language’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utaemasu”. 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 sing” politely in Japanese, this form is a good option.

Utaeta: the ta form of “utaeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “utaeta”.

• utaeta – 歌えた (うたえた) : the ta form of “utaeru”, which means ‘could sing’, ‘was able to sing’, ‘were able to sing’, or such in Japanese.

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

• utae – 歌え (うたえ) : one conjugation of “utaeru”. 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 “utaeta” is literally the ta form of “utaeru” and means ‘could sing’, ‘was able to sing’, ‘were able to sing’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.

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

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• umaku – 上手く (うまく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “umai”, which means ‘well’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is a typical usage of “utaeta”. When we wan to use the past tense form of “utaeru”, this ta form is the best option.

Utaete: the te form of “utaeru”

Below are the definition and meanings of “utaete”.

• utaete – 歌えて (うたえて) : the te form of “utaeru”, which means ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.

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

• utae – 歌え (うたえ) : one conjugation of “utaeru”. 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 “utaete” is literally the te form of “utaeru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “utaete” is very useful when we want to use “utaeru” 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 sing” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kodomo – 子供 (こども) : a noun meaning ‘child’ or ‘kid’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• odoreru – 踊れる (おどれる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can sing’ in Japanese.

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

Utaereba: the ba form of “utaeru”

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

• utaereba – 歌えれば (うたえれば) : the ba form of “utaeru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.

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

• utaere – 歌えれ (うたえれ) : one conjugation of “utaeru”. 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 “utaereba” is literally the ba form of “utaeru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “utaereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• hayaku – 速く (はやく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “hayai“, which means ‘fast’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• manaberu – 学べる (まなべる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can learn’ or such in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “utaereba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “nihongo no uta wo utaereba”, which means ‘if you can sing Japanese songs’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘can sing’, this ba form is a good option.

Summary

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

• utaeru – 歌える (うたえる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.
• utaenai – 歌えない (うたえない) : the nai form of “utaeru”, which means ‘cannot sing’ or ‘not to be able to sing’ in Japanese.
• utaemasu – 歌えます (うたえます) : the masu form of “utaeru”, which politely means ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.
• utaeta – 歌えた (うたえた) : the ta form of “utaeru”, which means ‘could sing’, ‘was able to sing’, ‘were able to sing’, or such in Japanese.
• utaete – 歌えて (うたえて) : the te form of “utaeru”, which means ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.
• utaereba – 歌えれば (うたえれば) : the ba form of “utaeru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘can sing’ or ‘to be able to sing’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.