The German lassen is a very useful word that can be used in a number of ways: as a main verb meaning “to let / to leave” or “to stop,” as a modal-like auxiliary verb, or in reflexive constructions as an alternative for the passive voice. Each variant carries a different meaning:
As a → meaning “leave,” “stop,” or “let”
Lass dein Handy zu Hause, das brauchst du heute nicht.
Leave your mobile phone at home, you won't need it today.
As an much like a → meaning “leave (something somewhere)” or “allow (some action)”
Meine Mutter lässt mich nicht zum Fußballspiel gehen.
My mom doesn’t let me go to the soccer game.
As a reflexive verb → this is often used as an equivalent to a construction
Die Tür lässt sich nicht schließen.
The door can’t be closed.
lit. The door doesn’t let itself be closed.
Lassen is one of those words that come with a lot of usages — it really makes the best of this potential! Read on if you want to find out more about one of the most versatile expressions in the German language!
The verb lassen is an essential part of the German language. Depending on how it’s used, its meaning changes. Generally, we can distinguish the usage as a main verb, a modal-like auxiliary verb, and a reflexive use. One might think of it as the Swiss Army Knife of German vocabulary! Now, we won’t let this innocuous word hurt you. Let’s master it together!
As a main verb, lassen has two main meanings: “to stop” and “to leave”
Stop or refrain from doing something
If you have a bad habit you would like to give up, or you want a certain behavior to stop, lassen comes to the rescue. Do you have a habit of biting your finger nails when nervous or lost in thought? Here's what you can say to yourself:
In Zukunft lasse ich das Fingernägelkauen.
In the future, I’ll stop biting my fingernails.
lit. In the future, I’ll stop my fingernail-biting.
Notice that the activity you’d like to stop is a nominalized verb (a noun for an action, not a verb). That’s why you should pay attention and capitalize it in writing.
You can of course also tell others to refrain from doing something. For instance, if someone bothers you, all you need is two words to let them know that they’d better stop:
Lass das!
Stop it!
You might also want to specify what exactly you’d like others to stop doing. If you still haven’t managed to stop biting your fingernails, you might be told off by your friends:
Jetzt lass endlich mal das Fingernägelkauen!
Now stop biting your fingernails already!
lit. Now stop your fingernail-biting already!)
Leave behind
Wenn wir ins Kino gehen, lassen wir in der Regel unser Handy zu Hause.
When we go to the movies, we usually leave our mobile phone at home.
Lass den Braten noch ein wenig im Ofen.
Leave the roast in the oven for a little while longer.
Warum habt ihr eure Jacken nicht im Auto gelassen?
Why didn’t you leave your coats in the car?
As a modal-like auxiliary verb, it is always used together with another verb. Here, we distinguish two different meanings:
Having something done
The first is frequently used when someone intentionally has someone else perform an action for them or to them. If the identity of the agent (whoever is performing the action) is not important or implied, the agent is omitted. The following examples will give you a good idea of what types of actions belong to this first category:
With lassen | With a passive |
|---|---|
Der Athlet lässt sich am Bein operieren. The athlete has his leg operated on. lit. The athlete has himself operated on on the leg. | Der Athlet wird am Bein operiert. The athlete’s leg was operated on. |
Ich lasse mir einmal pro Monat die Haare schneiden. I have my hair cut once a month. lit. I have the hair cut for myself once a month. | Meine Haare werden einmal pro Monat geschnitten. My hair is cut once a month. |
Wir lassen uns den Einkauf stets direkt vor die Tür bringen. We always have the groceries delivered directly to the door. lit. We always have the groceries be delivered to ourselves at the door. | Uns wird der Einkauf stets direkt vor die Tür gebracht. Our groceries are always brought directly to our door. |
Note that the reflexive pronoun can represent the direct object of the action (as in the first example) or an indirect object (as in the second two).
By using lassen + infinitive instead of the passive construction, the speaker makes it clear that not only was the action performed, but the person the action affected had some say over how or when that action took place.
Because this use of lassen always implies that the undergoer ended up undergoing the action by their own volition, we don’t represent accidental situations with lassen. It's best not to blame the victim for their misfortune!
✅ Der Skifahrer wurde bei dem Unfall verletzt.
The skier was injured in the accident.
❌Der Skifahrer hat sich beim Unfall verletzen lassen.
The skier let himself be injured in the accident.
To say that something can be done
In another meaning, the reflexive use of lassen conveys that some action can be done to the subject. You can think of this as an equivalent to using können(to be able to) plus the passive. Check out the following examples. The passive form is added for comparison:
Das lässt sich machen! = Das kann gemacht werden.
Can do!
lit. It lets itself be done = That can be done.
Mein Computer lässt sich nicht einschalten. = Mein Computer kann nicht eingeschaltet werden.
My computer won’t turn on.
lit. My computer doesn’t let itself be switched on = My computer can’t be switched on.
Using lassen sounds a lot more natural than the passive construction. You will hardly ever hear the passive in combination with the modal verb können(to be able to), both in spoken and in written language.
The verb lassen is a strong verb that can be used in any tense. Pay attention to the vowel change in its different conjugations. Here is an overview of the conjugations in different tenses:
Pronoun | Present Tense | Present Perfect | Past Perfect | Simple Past | Simple Future | Past Perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ich | lasse | habe gelassen | hatte gelassen | ließ | werde lassen | - |
du | lässt | hast gelassen | hattest gelassen | ließt | wirst lassen | Lass(e)! |
er, sie, es | lässt | hat gelassen | hatte gelassen | ließ | wird lassen | - |
wir | lassen | haben gelassen | hatten gelassen | ließen | werden lassen | lassen |
ihr | lasst | habt gelassen | hattet gelassen | ließt | werdet lassen | lasst |
sie / Sie | lassen | haben gelassen | hatten gelassen | ließen | werden lassen | lassen |
There are two different ways to use the verb lassen in the :
haben
(lassen)
haben
past participle (gelassen)
Which one you use depends on whether lassen is the of the clause or serves as a modal-like .
When lassen is used as a main verb (including as a reflexive), we use the participle form gelassen
When lassen is used as a modal-like auxiliary verb, we use the infinitive lassen. This is in line with how modal verbs form their perfect tense using a double infinitive.
Compare the examples below:
gelassen (as a main verb) | lassen (as a modal-like auxiliary verb) |
|---|---|
auxiliary verbmain verb (participle) Hast du schon wieder deine Brille im Büro gelassen? Did you leave your glasses at the office again? Leider hat er nur für zwei Tage das Fingernägelkauen gelassen. Unfortunately, he stopped the fingernail biting for only two days. Du hast den Braten zu lange im Ofen gelassen! You left the roast in the oven too long! | auxiliary verbmodal-like verb (infinitive)modified verb (infinitive) Hast du schon wieder deine Brille im Büro liegen lassen? Did you leave your glasses at the office again? Mein Chef hat mich nicht gehen lassen! My boss did not let me go! Wann hast du dir die Haare schneiden lassen? When did you have your hair cut? |
lassen is a verb that comes in many different disguises. Today, we’ve learned a number of different aspects and uses:
lassen can be used as a main verb with these two meanings:
to stop or refrain from doing an action
to leave something behind
lassen can also be used as a modal-like auxiliary verb in combination with an infinitive, to express that…
something is left to rest in a place, position, or situation
some action is allowed or permitted
lassen can be a reflexive verb with meanings a bit like a passive. It is used when…
someone has some action done to themself
to express that an action can be done to something
The verb lassen comes as a package deal. Once you've mastered all its uses, you'll be able to express a wide range of meanings with just one word. This makes it a super useful addition to any German learner's vocabulary. Now, let's practice using lassen in German!
