dejar/permitir + Infinitive

Permission Verbs

Level 4

Use dejar + infinitive or permitir + infinitive to say 'let/allow someone to do something'.

How It Works

In Spanish, the verbs dejar and permitir are used to express permission. They are followed by an infinitive verb to describe the action that is being allowed.

Key Differences:

  • Dejar is more common in everyday conversation and generally means 'to let' or 'to allow'.
  • Permitir is more formal and is closer to 'to permit'. You'll often see it in rules, signs, or formal contexts.

Structure:
The basic structure is: Subject + dejar/permitir + infinitive.

The permitted person can be expressed with an object pronoun:

  • Mis padres me dejan usar el coche. (My parents let me use the car.)
  • El doctor le permite caminar un poco cada día. (The doctor allows him or her to walk a little each day.)

With permitir, the recipient is normally an indirect object. With dejar, an intransitive infinitive commonly takes a direct-object causee (La dejaron salir), while a transitive infinitive favors an indirect object (Le dejaron usar el coche). Regional usage varies; me and te alone do not distinguish the two cases.

A noun phrase can identify the person: El profesor le permitió al estudiante entregar el trabajo tarde. You can also use que + subjunctive: Mi jefe permite que salga temprano. Do not place a conjugated verb directly after permite without que.

It's important to note that dejar has other meanings, such as 'to leave something behind', and even with an infinitive it can mean permitting or allowing an event to occur, as in dejar caer (let drop). Learn the intended construction in context.

Examples (5)

  1. Mis padres no me dejan salir esta noche.

    My parents won't let me go out tonight.

    Word by Word: My parents not me let go out this night.

  2. El museo no permite tomar fotos con flash.

    The museum doesn't permit taking photos with flash.

    Word by Word: The museum not permits to take photos with flash.

  3. ¿Me dejas ver lo que estás leyendo?

    Will you let me see what you're reading?

    Word by Word: Me you let see that which you are reading?

  4. La nueva política les permite a los empleados trabajar desde casa.

    The new policy allows employees to work from home.

    Word by Word: The new policy them permits to the employees to work from home.

  5. El profesor le dejó usar el diccionario durante el examen.

    The teacher let him use the dictionary during the exam.

    Here, 'le' is the indirect object pronoun referring to 'him' (or 'her'/'usted').

Common Mistakes

  • Using a conjugated verb instead of an infinitive after 'dejar' or 'permitir'.

    Mi jefe me deja salgo temprano.
    Mi jefe me deja salir temprano.

    The direct infinitive construction uses me deja salir. A conjugated alternative needs que and the subjunctive: Mi jefe deja que salga temprano. Me deja salgo lacks that link.

  • Adding an unnecessary preposition (like 'a' or 'para') before the infinitive.

    No me permiten a usar el teléfono aquí.
    No me permiten usar el teléfono aquí.

    Unlike some English structures ('allow to do'), the verbs 'dejar' and 'permitir' are followed directly by the infinitive. No preposition is needed between them.

How It Connects

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

dejar/permitir + InfinitiveLevel 4Permission Verbs

Learn This First

To use 'dejar' and 'permitir' for permission, you need to understand how to conjugate the main verb while keeping the second action in the infinitive. Crucially, you must understand how to use indirect object pronouns (le/les) to specify who is being allowed to do the action, and where to place those pronouns in relation to the infinitive.

Words in This Pattern

dejarpermitir