Laisser - French Expressions
The French verb laisser literally means to leave, and is also used in dozens of idiomatic expressions.
| laisser | to leave (laisser vs other verbs "to leave") | |
| to abandon | ||
| to go/drive past | ||
| to lose something | ||
| laisser + infinitive | (semi-auxiliary) | to let someone do something |
| laisser à désirer | to leave s.t. to be desired | |
| laisser dans son erreur | to not tell someone his/her mistake | |
| laisser dire | to let people talk | |
| laisser du champ à qqun | to leave s.o. room to maneuver | |
| laisser en plan | to leave in the lurch, to abandon | |
| laisser la porte ouverte | to leave the door open | |
| laisser la vie à qqun | to spare s.o.'s life | |
| laisser le champ libre à qqun | to leave s.o. a clear field | |
| laisser le meilleur pour la fin | to leave the best for last | |
| laisser pour (mort) | to leave for (dead) | |
| laisser qqch/qqun | to leave s.t./s.o. (somewhere) | |
| laisser qqch pour 5$ | to let something go for $5 | |
| laisser qqun dans l'ignorance | to leave s.o. in the dark, to not enlighten s.o. | |
| laisser qqun debout | to leave/keep s.o. standing up | |
| laisser qqun faire qqch | to let s.o. do s.t. | |
| laisser qqun mijoter dans son jus | to let someone stew in his own juices | |
| laisser tomber | to drop | |
| laisser une bonne impression | to make a good impression | |
| laisser un message | to leave a message | |
| laisser vivre | to live for the day, to take each day as it comes | |
| laisser voir | to show, reveal, let show | |
| laisser voir ses sentiments | to let one's feelings show | |
| tout laisser en plan | to drop everything | |
| n'en pas se laisser | to not be taken in / fooled easily | |
| ne pas laisser de... | to not fail to...; to not refrain from... | |
| ne pas laisser qqun faire sans réagir | to not let s.o. get away with | |
| ne rien laisser à désirer | to be all that one could hope for | |
| ne rien laisser voir | to show no sign/inkling of | |
| Cela ne laisse pas d'être vrai. | It's true nonetheless. | |
| Cela ne laisse pas de me surprendre. | That couldn't fail to surprise me. | |
| C'est à prendre ou à laisser. | Take it or leave it, That's my final offer. | |
| Il faut laisser faire le temps. | Let things take/follow their (natural) course. | |
| Je vous laisse. | I'm leaving. | |
| Je vous laisse à penser... | You can imagine...; I don't need to tell you... | |
| Laisse, Laissez | Let it go, forget it. | |
| Laisse faire ! | Never mind! Don't bother! | |
| Laisse-moi ! | Leave me alone! | |
| Laisse-moi rire ! | Don't make me laugh! | |
| Laisse-toi faire ! | Come on, try it, it won't hurt you! | |
| On lui a laissé son... | We left his ... alone; We didn't argue with him about his... | |
| On ne va pas le laisser faire sans réagir ! | We're not going to let him get away with that! | |
| se laisser + infinitive | to let o.s. be + past participle | |
| se laisser aller | to let oneself go | |
| se laisser aller à + infinitive | to stoop to + gerund | |
| se laisser boire (informal) | to go down nicely, taste nice | |
| se laisser dire que... | to hear/be told that... | |
| se laisser faire | to let oneself be persuaded/talked into; to get pushed around | |
| se laisser surprendre par | to get caught / be surprised by | |
| se laisser vivre | to live for the day, live one day at a time | |
| s'en laisser conter | to be easily taken in / fooled | |
| le laisser-aller | casualness, carelessness, sloppiness | |
| le laisser-faire | laissez-faire, non-interventionism (French expressions in English) | |
| le laissez-passer | pass | |
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