Page 259 - Easy Japanese - Learn to Speak Japanese Quickly! (TUTTLE)

iku → ikeru → ikenai
go can go cannot go

Special Polite Verbs
Follow the same rule as Group 1—change u to eru

irassharu → irasshareru → irassharenai
be/come/go can cannot be/come/go

be/come/go

Note that the object of Potential verbs can be marked either by the particle o or
ga, just like we saw before with the verb -tai forms.
Kādo o/ga You can use a credit card.

tsukaeru.
Nihongo o/ga I can speak Japanese.
hanaseru.

GRAMMAR NOTE Negative Requests

Earlier, we learned that the -te form of verbs are used to make a request.
Casual: Tabete. Eat.

Formal: Tabete kudasai. Please eat.
More polite: Tabete itadakemasen ka. Could you please eat?

To make a negative request (asking someone not to do something), you add de to
the Informal negative form of the verb.
Casual: Tabenai de. Don’t eat.

Formal: Tabenai de kudasai. Please don’t eat.
More polite: Tabenai de Could you please not
itadakemasen ka. eat?

Some sentence particles can follow these requests with an added meaning.
Tabenai de ne? Don’t eat, okay? (softer)

Tabenai de yo. Don’t eat, I’m telling you. (more
demanding)