Français — laisser + infinitive (let)
The verb laisser followed by an infinitive means to let or allow someone to do something: Je laisse les enfants jouer. It expresses permission or non-intervention, unlike faire causatif, which means to make something happen.
How it works
Laisser is followed directly by the infinitive: laisser + (someone) + verb. The person allowed to act can come before or after the infinitive: Laisse-moi passer or Je laisse les enfants jouer. The fixed expression laisser tomber literally means to drop (Il a laissé tomber le vase) and figuratively to give up or forget it (Laisse tomber !).
Examples
| Construction | Example | Meaning / use |
|---|---|---|
| laisser + qqn + inf. | Je laisse les enfants jouer. | I let the children play (permission). |
| laisser + inf. (impératif) | Laisse-moi passer. | Let me pass / get through. |
| laisser tomber (littéral) | Il a laissé tomber le vase. | He dropped the vase (let it fall). |
| laisser tomber (figuré) | Laisse tomber, ce n'est pas grave. | Forget it / drop it, it doesn't matter. |
| laisser faire | Elle a laissé faire. | She let it happen / did nothing to stop it. |
| faire + inf. (causatif) | Je fais réparer la voiture. | I have the car repaired — I cause it, not merely permit. |
Good to know
Don't confuse laisser (let, permit) with faire causatif (make, have done). Je laisse réparer la voiture means I let someone repair it, while Je fais réparer la voiture means I have it repaired. With a pronoun object, laisser lets both orders: Je le laisse partir or Je laisse partir mon frère.