This means you 'can do' something. It is a polite way to say you are able to do it.
Verb [stem] + られますPrimary
This means you 'can do' something. It is a polite way to say you are able to do it.
私は漢字が少し読めます。
I can read a little bit of kanji.
この魚は生で食べられますか。
Can this fish be eaten raw?
申し訳ありませんが、その会議には出られません。
I apologize, but I cannot attend that meeting.
昨日は疲れていて、あまり歩けませんでした。
I was tired yesterday, so I couldn't walk very much.
彼はギターも弾けますし、歌も上手に歌えます。
He can play the guitar, and he can also sing well.
This form can be tricky. It might mean "can do." But it can also mean "is done by someone." Or it can show respect. You need to look at the whole sentence. This helps you understand the true meaning. Some people use other words to be very clear about "can do."
This is like saying "can do" in English. It is more common in daily talk. "〜ことができます" is also like "can do". But it can sound a bit more formal. You can use "〜ことができます" with nouns too. But you can only use "〜（ら）れます" with verbs.
Watch out: How you make this form changes with different verbs. For some verbs, you add "られます" to the verb stem. For other verbs, you change the last sound of the verb. Then you add "ます". Do not add "られます" to the second type of verb. That would be wrong. It would mean something else, like "is read".
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