laisser + Infinitive

Letting Someone Do Something with Laisser + Infinitive

Level 3

The construction laisser + infinitive is the standard way to say 'to let' or 'to allow' in French. It is used for both people and things.

How It Works

The verb laisser acts as a semi-auxiliary in this construction to express permission or lack of resistance.

1. Word Order with Nouns:
When the person doing the action (the agent) is a noun, you can place it before or after the infinitive:

  • Je laisse les enfants sortir. (Common)
  • Je laisse sortir les enfants. (More formal)

2. Word Order with Pronouns:
In most cases, object pronouns come before laisser:

  • Je les laisse sortir. (I let them go out.)

However, in an affirmative imperative, the pronoun follows the verb:

  • Laisse-moi t'expliquer. (Let me explain to you.)

3. Double Pronouns:
When using two pronouns, follow the standard pronoun order before laisser:

  • Je les lui laisse manger. (I let him eat them.)

4. Laisser vs. Faire:
While the faire causative implies causing or forcing an action, laisser implies permission or allowing something to happen naturally.

5. Reflexive Use:
When used as se laisser + infinitive, it often translates to 'to let oneself be [verb]ed':

  • Il s'est laissé convaincre. (He let himself be convinced.)

6. Past Participle Agreement:
Modern standards recommend keeping laissé invariable when followed by an infinitive, making it easier to become proficient in this structure.

Examples (5)

  1. Laisse-moi t'expliquer ce qui s'est passé.

    Let me explain to you what happened.

    Word by Word: Let-me to-you to-explain that which itself is happened.

    In the imperative, the pronoun 'moi' follows 'laisse', but the infinitive 'expliquer' still follows directly.

  2. Elle a laissé tomber ses clés dans la rue.

    She dropped her keys in the street.

    Word by Word: She has let to-fall her keys in the street.

    'Laisser tomber' is a very common idiom meaning 'to drop' (literally: to let fall) or 'to let it go/forget it'.

  3. Je les laisse jouer dans le jardin.

    I let them play in the garden.

    Word by Word: I them let to-play in the garden.

    Notice the object pronoun 'les' (them) is placed before the conjugated verb 'laisse'.

  4. Ne vous laissez pas abattre par cette nouvelle.

    Don't let yourself be discouraged by this news.

    Word by Word: Not yourself let not to-beat-down by this news.

    This uses the reflexive 'se laisser' to create a passive meaning (to let oneself be discouraged).

  5. Il laisse ses amis utiliser sa voiture.

    He lets his friends use his car.

    Word by Word: He lets his friends to-use his car.

    The noun 'ses amis' is the agent of the infinitive 'utiliser'.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding the preposition 'de' or 'à' before the infinitive.

    Je laisse les enfants de jouer.
    Je laisse les enfants jouer.

    Unlike 'permettre de', the verb 'laisser' is a 'bare infinitive' verb and requires no preposition.

  • Placing the object pronoun between 'laisser' and the infinitive.

    Je laisse les jouer.
    Je les laisse jouer.

    In French, object pronouns generally precede the entire verbal group 'laisser + infinitive'.

  • Using 'laisser' when you mean 'make someone leave'.

    Different MeaningJe le laisse partir.
    Je le fais partir.

    'Je le laisse partir' is correct, but it means 'I let him leave'. To say you cause or force it, use 'faire': 'Je le fais partir.' 'Laisser' means to allow or not stop, while 'faire' means to cause the action to happen.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

laisser + InfinitiveLevel 3Letting Someone Do Something with Laisser + Infinitive

Learn This First

To use 'laisser + infinitive', you need to know how to conjugate the regular -er verb 'laisser' and understand the syntax of placing an infinitive directly after a conjugated verb to express allowing an action.

Words in This Pattern

laisser