láta

Let and Have Done (Láta)

Level 3

láta + infinitive (no að) means let or have something done: Láttu mig vita (Let me know), Ég lét gera við bílinn (I had the car repaired).

How It Works

Forms. láta is a strong verb: present ég læt, þú lætur, hún lætur, við látum, þið látið, þau láta; past lét, lést, lét, létum, létuð, létu; supine látið; command láttu (plural látið).

1. Let someone do something. The doer is in the accusative (mig/þig/hann/hana), and the infinitive has no að:

  • Láttu mig vita. (Let me know.)
  • Láttu hana ekki bíða. (Don't keep her waiting.)

2. Have something done. With no doer named, someone else does the job for you:

  • Ég lét gera við bílinn. (I had the car repaired.)
  • Þau létu mála húsið. (They had the house painted.)
  • Ég ætla að láta klippa mig. (I'm going to get my hair cut.)

The object takes whatever case the second verb or its preposition needs.

3. Other everyday meanings. On its own, láta can mean put: Hún lét bollann á borðið (She put the cup on the table). It can also mean behave: Láttu ekki svona! (Don't be like that!) and Hann lætur eins og hann viti ekkert (He acts as if he knows nothing), see eins og + subjunctive.

No að. Like vilja and mega, láta takes the infinitive directly. Compare leyfa (allow), which takes a dative and að: Leyfðu mér að hjálpa þér (Let me help you).

Examples (6)

  1. Láttu mig vita.

    Let me know.

    Word by Word: Let me know.

  2. Ég lét gera við bílinn.

    I had the car repaired.

    Word by Word: I let do at the car.

    No doer is named, so someone else did the repair.

  3. Ég ætla að láta klippa mig.

    I'm going to get a haircut.

    Word by Word: I intend to let cut me.

  4. Láttu hana ekki bíða.

    Don't keep her waiting.

    Word by Word: Let her not wait.

    hana is accusative.

  5. Láttu ekki svona!

    Don't be like that!

    Word by Word: Let not so!

  6. Hún lét bollann á borðið.

    She put the cup on the table.

    Word by Word: She let the cup on the table.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding að before the infinitive.

    Láttu mig að vita.
    Láttu mig vita.

    láta takes the infinitive directly, without að.

  • Putting the doer in the dative.

    Láttu mér vita.
    Láttu mig vita.

    In standard Icelandic, the person after láta is in the accusative: mig, þig, hann, hana. Láttu mér vita is sometimes heard, but it is not standard. leyfa is the verb that takes a dative (leyfðu mér að ...).

How It Connects

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

látaLevel 3Let and Have Done (Láta)

Learn This First

láta builds on the accusative and mega.

Words in This Pattern

láta