Japanese: 見える vs. 見られる
Since I spent an hour figuring out the difference between mieru and mirareru today…
- 見る: (miru) To see
- 見られる: (mirareru; potential form) To be able to see
- 見える: (mieru: ??? form) Has the state in which the potential to be seen exists.
Examples:
- 海を見ます:
- I see the ocean.
- あの山の上に海が見える:
- From the top of that mountain, the ocean can be seen.
- あの山は上りましたので、海が見られました:
- Because I climbed that mountain, I was able to see the ocean.
Or, more succinctly, a human does mirareru; an object does mieru ;)
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