How do you say "One person cannot eat fish." in Japanese?

"One person cannot eat fish." in Japanese is "一人は魚が食べられません。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘One person cannot eat fish.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "一人は魚が食べられません。" mean in English?

"一人は魚が食べられません。" means "One person cannot eat fish." in English. Usage tip: In [一人は魚が食べられません], the [は] marks "as for one person," setting that person apart from the rest of the group. This pattern is handy for mixed needs: [一人は肉が食べられません].

一人は魚が食べられません。

hitori wa sakana ga tabe rare mase n

[hee-toh-ree wah sah-kah-nah gah tah-beh rah-reh mah-seh n]

💬 Usage Tip: In [一人は魚が食べられません], the [は] marks "as for one person," setting that person apart from the rest of the group. This pattern is handy for mixed needs: [一人は肉が食べられません].

Phrase Breakdown

一人

hitori

[hee-toh-ree]

one person

Refers to one member of the group.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

は

[wah]

topic marker

Marks 一人 as the topic, meaning as for one person.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

魚

sakana

[sah-kah-nah]

fish

Fish as a food item.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

が

[gah]

subject marker

Marks 魚 as the thing that cannot be eaten.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

食べられません

tabe rare mase n

cannot eat

Potential negative form of 食べる, meaning unable to eat or not allowed to eat.

Example

私は辛い物が食べられません。

I can't eat spicy food.

Words in this phrase

食べ

tabe

[tah-beh]

eat

The stem of the verb to eat.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

られ

rare

[rah-reh]

can be / able to

Part of the potential form meaning able to.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

ませ

mase

[mah-seh]

polite negative stem

Part of the polite negative ending.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

ん

[n]

negative ending

The final sound completing the negative polite form.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

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