Hi there, welcome to our one point lesson. It’s been so hot and dry in Canberra. We hope everyone is enjoying the hot weather!
We would like to explain a grammar point; the difference between 見られる and 見える, 聞ける and 聞こえる.
If you have already studied Japanese potential verbs, you know 見られる is the regular potential form of 見る, which means “can see”. On the other hand, 見える means “something or someone is already visible”. Here are some examples:
- あの新（あたら）しい映画（えいが）はどこで見られますか？－キャンベラ映画館（えいがかん）で見られます。
Where can I see that new movie? ― You can see it at Canberra cinema. - 箱根（はこね）で、富士山（ふじさん）が見える旅館（りょかん）に泊（と）まりました。
I stayed at Japanese Inn where you can see Mt. Fuji.
見られる in the first sentence means that you can see it if you like or if you try, but it is not immediately visible. 見える in the second sentence means it is there without trying to see it, i.e: it is already visible.
Let’s look at some examples for 聞ける and 聞こえる.
- パソコンでCDを聞けます。
You can listen to CDs on a computer. - 外（そと）から子供（こども）たちの声（こえ）が聞こえます。
I can hear children’s voices from outside.
聞こえる in the second sentence means spontaneously audible, whereas 聞ける in the first sentence means that you can listen to it if you like or if you try.
We hope it helps your Japanese study.
Summer has just started, have a great weekend peeps!