lassen
Translation
to let, to leave, to allow, to have something done
Examples
Lasst uns eine Pause machen.
Let's take a break.
Er lässt sein Auto waschen.
He is having his car washed.
Ich lasse meine Tasche hier.
I'll leave my bag here.
Lass mich in Ruhe!
Leave me alone!
Grammar Patterns
((sth.)) ((infinitive)) to have sth. done Er lässt sein Auto waschen.
((sth.)) ((somewhere)) to leave sth. somewhere Ich lasse meine Tasche hier.
((sb.)) ((do sth.)) to let sb. do sth. Lass mich das erklären.
Similar Words
Synonyms: erlauben (to allow), ermöglichen (to enable); Antonyms: verbieten (to forbid), hindern (to prevent)
Etymology
From Old High German 'lāzzan', related to the English word 'let'.
Memory Tips
Think of its English cognate 'let' (Let's go!) and the word 'leave' (Leave it here). It covers both causative ('have something done') and permissive ('let someone do') meanings.