Suppose I wanted to say to someone, "Can you solve this question?" According
to my Memrise app and some Google results, this is the model sentence:

> (1) この問題が **解けます** か。

Since potential ("can") is involved, shouldn't the Japanese sentence be:

> (2) この問題が **解けられます** か。

Perhaps the literal meaning of (1) is "Will this question be in a solved
state?", similar to ドアがしまりますか。 _Is the (automatic, maybe) door going to be
closed?_ Perhaps this literal meaning is widely taken to mean "Can you solve
this question?"

I've asked a [similar question about dictionary form vs potential
form](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/30823/%E3%81%A8%E3%81%BE%E3%82%89%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-in-
one-punch-man-op-
meaning-%E3%81%A8%E3%81%BE%E3%82%8C%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84-negative-potential), but
due to the limited context of that question, I would like to know **if the
dictionary form can be used as the potential form in general**.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-05T10:39:05.387
33958
2016-05-07T12:23:40.953
2017-04-13T12:43:43.857
-1
11849
question
grammar translation potential-form
Dictionary form (解ける) as potential form (解けられる)?
(2) is unnatural because 解ける is the potential verb of 解く and it already means
potential.

When 五段活用 verbs change to 下一段活用 verbs, they sometimes become potential verbs
and they are called 可能動詞. In this case, a 五段活用 verb 解く changes to a 下一段活用 verb
解ける, and it becomes the potential verb of 解く.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-05T10:52:30.340
33959
2016-05-05T17:18:22.140
2016-05-05T17:18:22.140
9831
7320
33958
answer
In summary

Although some dictionary forms happen to share an identical form as the
potential form of another verb, the dictionary form of a verb cannot be used
as the potential form.

As for 解けられる.

i. When it's combination of the potential form of 解く and られる voice, it's
morphologically impossible.

ii. When it's combination of intransitive 解ける and られる voice

  1. potential: This time, it's morphologically possible but still ungrammatical because 解ける is not used as a volitional intransitive verb so far, in other words, it's always an involitional intransitive verb, which doesn't have the potential form to begin with.
  2. passive: It's fine. e.g. 氷に解けられては困る (We'll be in trouble if the ice melts)
  3. honorific: In theory possible, aside from weirdness. e.g. 人魚姫は海に溶けられた (Princess Mermaid melted into the sea)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-07T12:23:40.953
33988
2016-05-07T12:23:40.953
4092
33958
answer