My book says that "koto" can convert verbs into nouns. It can also convert
adjectives and adverbial nouns, but what does that mean? It gives examples
like:

> Tori o tsukamaeru koto wa kantan ja nai?
>
> Watashi wa kare ga nihon e itta koto o nd dare date boku ga atama ga warui
> koto ot shitteru

The book says "koto" means "thing", "fact", or "matter".

How exactly do you use "koto"?
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grammar nominalization
How do you use "koto"?
> tori wo tsukamaeru  
>  "I catch birds."  
>  "I will catch the bird."

This is a full sentence, as you can see in the English meanings provided.

* * *

> tori wo tsukamaeru koto  
>  "catching birds"

When you add `koto` on the end, it becomes a noun.

Since it is a noun, you can use as part of a larger sentence:

> **tori wo tsukamaeru koto** ha kantan ja nai  
>  " **Catching birds** is not simple."
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Darius' example above is right. But, you can also use KOTO as follows. Anyone,
please correct me if the below translations are wrong.

かのじょ たち は 日本 ご を べんきょう した こと が あり. - She (all) HAD DONE the thing of studying
Japanese.

かれ の かお は 見た こと が あり ます. - I HAD DONE the thing of looking at his face.

MP 3 プレーヤー を つかった こと が あり ます か? - HAD you DONE (did you do) the thing of using
the MP3 player?

Past tense + koto = HAD DONE THE ACTION OF something.
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How about this:

> 彼女たちは 日本語を 勉強したことが あります。  
>  _Kanojo-tachi wa nihon-go o benkyō shita koto ga arimasu._  
>  Them girls studied Japanese at least once.

  * "koto" turns every thing preceding it into a substantive (noun) clause.
  * "ga arimasu" indicates that the subject exists in at least one instance.
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・［名詞a noun］が できます。 ga dekimasu. ・［動詞a verb辞書形dictionary-form］ことが できます。 koto ga
dekimasu.

能力ability・可能the possible

例 スキーが できます / およぐことが できます。

##  Sukii ga dekimasu / Oyogu koto ga dekimasu

・［しゅみ/しごと］は ［動詞a verb辞書形dictionary-form］ことです。 [Shumi/Shigoto] wa koto desu.
・［動詞a verb辞書形dictionary-form］ことが すきです。 koto ga suki desu.

［動詞a verb辞書形dictionary-form］こと ＝ ［名詞a noun］

例 しゅみは えいがを みることです。

##  Shumi wa eiga o miru koto desu.

・［動詞a verbた形ta-form］ことが あります。 koto ga arimasu.

経験an experienceが あります

例 アフリカへ いったことが あります。 Afurika e itta koto ga arimasu.
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I'll put something up from the book I'm reading, Teach Yourself Books C. J.
Dunn and S. Yanada Japanese (first printed 1958, impression 1973):

In lesson 7 (p. 29)

"A standardized adjectival clause is used as one of the ways of expressing the
idea of "being able". Thus **yomu koto ga dekimasu** is equivalent to "I can
read"; in other words, to add the idea of "being able" to any verb, put the
plain form of the verb before the expression **kota ga dekimasu.** Thus, to
give another example, **Eigo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu** can be translated as
"Can you speak English?" The expression **koto ga dekimasu** is best thought
of as idiomatic; **koto** is "an abstract thing" and **dekimasu** , or
**dekiru** , to use the dictionary form, as we shall henceforth when referring
to a verb, is a word of wide meaning, including such as "is made", "is
produced", "is possible"; you may thus think of **yomu koto ga dekimasu** as
"a reading thing is possible" or "reading is possible", but it is probably
better not to analyse the meanings of the expressions such as this. However,
the construction composed of a verb followed by **koto** is a useful one, for
it can be used to translate English verbal noun ending in "-ing". Thus **yomu
koto** is "reading", **oyogu koto** , "swimming", **hanasu koto** ,
"speaking", e.g., **Nihongo o hanasu koto wa muzukashii desu.** Speaking
Japanese is difficult. Or It is difficult to speak Japanese."

I am here to further my understanding of this noun.

(Glossary: **koto** _n_. (abstract) thing, fact)

I recommend looking up the definition for idiomatic. This is probably why it
is hard to translate because there is not a literal meaning that is
necessarily obvious. This book gave me some useful examples, but even so I
need more examples before I can truly understand **koto**.
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