Ch 26 · Lesson 18French · Chapter 26 · Lesson 18 · Grammar primer
Laisse-moi partir: laisser, permettre and laisser tomber
takes and a bare infinitive ( ); takes and ( ). is to drop, to give up, and is forget it.
The short version
!
Why?Hide
is the everyday let, with a bare infinitive: . is permission, with à before the person and before the verb: 'a . And learn as a unit: it means to drop something, or to give up on it, and is how French says forget it.
laisser or permettre
English let and allow meet two French verbs with different wiring.
| Verb | Person, linker | Example |
|---|---|---|
| direct, none | . |
| indirect, | . |
.- I let him go..- I allow him to leave.
often means not stopping rather than granting a right: - . - Let him sleep. is permission, and the formal end of the scale:
- Laisse-moi partir.
- Tu me permets de partir ?
- Permettez-moi de partir.
laisser tomber and laisser faire
is to drop, and from there to give up and to let someone down. Learn it as one verb.
| Phrase | French | English |
|---|---|---|
| drop | . | He dropped his glass. |
| give up | . | She gave up her studies. |
| let down | . | He let me down. |
| forget it | ! | Forget it! |
| don't interfere | , . | Leave it, it'll sort itself out. |
! is the everyday never mind. French uses the other one as a noun, -, and English borrowed the idea as -.
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| . | no linker |
| . | pronoun before the verb |
| . | : direct object |
| . | à: |
Going further: The verbs, and no linker and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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