Verb (potential form) + ようになります (Come to be able to)
Core / Changes in Ability
👀 Layer A: Visual Guide
📝 Quick Summary
This grammar point expresses a change from not being able to do something, to being able to do it. Because it describes an acquired ability, you will almost always use it in the past tense (〜ようになりました).
Structure: [Verb Potential Form] + ようになりました
Example: にほんごが はなせる ように なりました (I have become able to speak Japanese).
🔍 Layer B: Deepening
💡 Raya’s Hack
The Particle Shift: を ➡️ が
When you change a standard verb into its Potential form, the object particle を (o) naturally changes to が (ga).
– かんじ を よむ (I read Kanji).
– かんじ が よめる ようになりました (I became able to read Kanji).
While using “を” is technically understood in casual speech, using “が” with potential verbs proves you have a solid grasp of N4 grammar!
🚧 Joy’s Mistake
Scene: Joy wants to say he can finally eat spicy food.
Joy: 「からい たべものが たべる ように なりました。」
(Karai tabemono ga taberu you ni narimashita.)
❌ Habit vs. Ability!
Why?
Joy used the standard dictionary form (taberu). When you attach standard verbs to “you ni narimasu”, it means you started a new habit (e.g., “I started eating spicy food regularly”).
If you want to say that you gained the ability to eat it without crying, you must use the Potential form (taberareru).
Correct: 「からい たべものが たべられる ように なりました。」
🔥 Layer C: Retrieval Practice Loop
Retrieve and apply! Master your level-up sentences. (Hiragana and English only)
Level 1: Structure Building (Change to Potential + ようになりました)
Q1. Became able to swim (およぐ)
Q2. Became able to speak (はなす)
Q3. Became able to eat (たべる)
Q4. Became able to ride (のる)
Q5. Became able to write (かく)
Level 2: Full Sentences
Q6. I became able to speak Japanese.
Q7. I became able to ride a bicycle. (じてんしゃ)
Q8. I became able to read Kanji. (かんじ / よむ)
Q9. I became able to swim 100 meters. (100メートル / およぐ)
Q10. I became able to eat sushi. (すし)
