Being Able To (ことができる)

Many verbs also have a shorter potential form, 食べられる instead of 食べることができる, and both mean the same thing. ことができる sounds a little more formal and explicit, useful in writing or careful speech, while the potential form is what you’ll hear more in casual conversation.

Asked as a question like this, ことができますか often works less like “are you personally able to” and more like “is it possible to,” checking whether a place or situation allows something, common when asking about hotel or facility rules.