All about Laisser

Laisser is a regular -er verb that means "to leave." Laisser is also found in numerous expressions and is commonly used as a semi-auxiliary as well as a pronominal verb.

To Leave

Laisser is a transitive verb and means "to leave something or someone."

   Peux-tu me laisser de l'argent ?
   Could you leave me some money?

   Je vais laisser la porte ouverte.
   I'm going to leave the door open.

   Cela me laisse perplexe.
   That leaves me perplexed.

   Au revoir, je te laisse.
   Good-bye, I'm going/leaving.

   Laisse, je vais le faire.
   Leave it, I'll do it.

Laisser is sometimes confused with the verbs partir, sortir, and quitter which also mean "to leave" - learn more.


To Lose

Laisser less commonly means "to lose something."

   Il a laissé un bras dans l'accident.
   He lost an arm in the accident

   Elle a failli laisser sa vie hier.
   She almost lost her life yesterday.


Semi-Auxiliary

When laisser is followed by an infinitive, it means "to let (someone) do (something)":

   Il m'a laissé sortir.
   He let me go out.

   Laisse-le jouer.
   Let him play.


Expressions with laisser

Laisser is used in a number of expressions, including

   laisser tomber - to drop

   laissez-moi rire ! - don't make me laugh!

   laisse faire ! - never mind! don't bother!

   On ne va pas le laisser faire sans réagir ! - We're not going to let him get away with that!


Pronominal Verb

Se laisser + infinitive means "to let oneself be(come)."

   Il s'est laissé persuader.
   He let himself be persuaded.

   Ne te laisse pas décourager !
   Don't let yourself get discouraged!


Conjugations

Present tense

   je laisse
   tu laisses
   il laisse
   nous laissons
   vous laissez
   ils laissent

All tenses