Verb conjugations

Is there a particular reason why wanikani doesn’t state the conjugation for of a verb? as in potential passive etc?.. and is there a script that can add this feature available?

Thanks

Aren’t they almost always dictionary form unless it’s a vocabulary word that takes a particular verb-looking form? I can’t think of any examples where confusion around verb conjugation would merit such a feature.

2 Likes

建てる Is the potential form of 建つ is it not? of Which are both taught in wanikani.

Yes, but in the case, Wanikani is giving you the simple transitive 建てる. Wanikani does indicate transitive/intransitive for us.

Random link for 建てる and 建つ conjugation.

5 Likes

Are you saying that transitive is another word for potential? and that intransitive means present indicative?
Just to be clear.

No. It’s just that sometimes the potential conjugation of a verb and its transitive or intransitive pair happen to read the same. Maybe someone else on here has spent more time and can explain the pattern if there is one. It’s another one of those situations that needs to be understood through context, I think.

2 Likes

Better links:

建てる - transitive

建てる - potential of 建つ

1 Like

A transitive verb has a direct object. And intransitive verb does not. Neither has anything to do with potential form.

For example:
落ちる (おちる) = to fall (intransitive)
落とす (おとす) = to drop (transitive)

ボールが落ちた = The ball fell
ボールを落とした = (I or somebody else) dropped the ball.

In the first sentence, the ball fell on its own. In the second sentence, the ball fell as a result of me (or someone else) dropping it.

3 Likes

So what they’re saying is that the potential conjugation is the same, and the meaning is show through whether or not it is used in a transitive sense, get what I’m saying?

Here are some examples

私は立てる
I can stand

This sentence is used in a intransitive form, so you know it is the potential form (I can stand)

私はバナナを立てる
I stand this banana up

Now since this one is used in conjunction with a direct object バナナ you know that this means the transitive form.

The truth is that (as tel003a said) they follow patterns for how this happens, and sometimes this pattern is the same as how the potential form is conjugated. For more on this you can see the patterns here here

4 Likes

Oops, sorry, you wrote that before I could!

I already understand the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs. Please refer to my original post as I feel like my question is not being answered? and it’s turning into a post between the difference between verb conjugations and transitive and intransitive verbs.

Thanks

Sorry, what I was trying to say is that WaniKani doesn’t actually teach you any forms besides dictionary forms and that it was just a coincidence that the potential and the transitive forms are the same. They may teach you others and I just haven’t gotten far enough through it (as you can see by my “4”) but I’m pretty sure those are just coincidences.

Wanikani does teach you other forms other than dictionary forms.

I gave you links to 建てる, the potential and 建てる, the transitive, which you learned on Wanikani. They just happen to be the same reading in this case. You will find that will happen for other verbs as well. That’s your answer.

Edit: I suck at quote responding.

If you have an example that actually is a different form, then we can discuss that.

Prove it with examples.

Yeah, I don’t know of any cases where WaniKani teaches a verb in a form other than dictionary form. Do you have any examples?

The only thing I can think of is some expressions involve a conjugated verb.

2 Likes

建てる Is the potenial form of 建てつ

They are 2 different forms

Yes, たてる is what you get when you conjugate たつ to potential.

But that’s not what WK taught you.

たてる has its own potential form, たてられる

This is like how かえる is both “to go home” and “to be able to buy” (among many other things)

3 Likes