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Not sure if this question is opinion based, but I think it's worth trying to
ask.

Can native/fluent speakers easily distinguish the sound difference between the
polite and potential forms of a verb in normal speech e.g. 行きます versus 行けます?

Is it perhaps the change of particle from を to が or the context the
conversation that helps to determine the meaning rather than the pronunciation
of the verb? Are there ever situations where this is confusing and you have to
ask the speaker to repeat or rephrase what they said?
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2021-03-30T19:45:23.417
85872
2021-03-30T21:58:27.877
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question
pronunciation potential-form
Distinguishing polite form and potential form in speech
Yes. A native speaker can easily hear this.

If you're a native English speaker, then this distinction is hard for us to
hear in positions we perceive as an unaccented syllable. But, note how we
easily hear the differences between _bid_ and _bed_ and _bead_ and _bade_. And
though these sounds are rather different from the Japanese _i_ and _e_ ,
nevertheless, the distinction is clearly heard.

As English speaking learners of Japanese, this difference eventually becomes
easily heard: your brain learns to notice the difference since the meaning is
significant.
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2021-03-30T21:58:27.877
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2021-03-30T21:58:27.877
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answer