Laisser in the Present Tense in French

Introduction

Laisser means “to leave, to let”, and this page covers exactly one thing: laisser in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for laisser, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about laisser in the present. For example: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of laisser exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Laisser in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je laisse
tu laisses
il/elle laisse
nous laissons
vous laissez
ils/elles laissent

Gerund: laissant · Past participle: laissé

The gerund is laissant, which you use after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is laissé, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: the je form of the present perfect is ai laissé, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how laisser is used.

How the present of laisser is formed

The present of laisser follows the regular -er pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je laisse, tu laisses, il/elle laisse, nous laissons, vous laissez, ils/elles laissent. The nous and vous forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the imperfect is built from the present nous form, and the present subjunctive is built from the present ils form, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. The gerund laissant and the participle laissé belong to the same family of forms — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise laisser in every tense.

When to use the present of laisser

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use laisser in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Leaving my book on the table — the everyday use

Laisser is the verb for leaving my book on the table. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.”

2. Leaving the keys at home — a second everyday use

Laisser also covers leaving the keys at home. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Tu laisses les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “You leave the keys at home every day.”

3. Leaving Marie leave this evening — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use laisser for leaving Marie leave this evening. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Il laisse partir Marie ce soir tous les jours.” — “He leaves Marie leave this evening every day.”

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and laisser is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Nous laissons mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “We leave my book on the table every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with laisser in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Vous laissez les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “You leave the keys at home every day.”

Present Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the imperfect describes an ongoing or habitual past action, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or hier, while the imperfect sentences use autrefois or quand. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Je laissais mon livre sur la table autrefois.” — “I used to leave my book on the table in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Tu laisses les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “You leave the keys at home every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Tu laissais les clés à la maison autrefois.” — “You used to leave the keys at home in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Nous laissons partir Marie ce soir tous les jours.” — “We leave Marie leave this evening every day.”

  • Imperfect: “Nous laissions partir Marie ce soir autrefois.” — “We used to leave Marie leave this evening in the past.”

  • The present sentence is about the present moment or one finished action; the imperfect sentence is about the past as it used to be. That difference — now or finished versus ongoing in the past — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: laisser in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Je laisse les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “I leave the keys at home every day.”

  2. “Tu laisses partir Marie ce soir tous les jours.” — “You leave Marie leave this evening every day.”

  3. “Il laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “He leaves my book on the table every day.”

  4. “Nous laissons les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “We leave the keys at home every day.”

  5. “Vous laissez partir Marie ce soir tous les jours.” — “You leave Marie leave this evening every day.”

  6. “Ils laissent mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “They leave my book on the table every day.”

  7. “Je laisse les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “I leave the keys at home every day.”

  8. “Tu laisses partir Marie ce soir tous les jours.” — “You leave Marie leave this evening every day.”

Common mistakes with laisser in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je laissent mon livre sur la table.” Right: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table.” Why: The je form is laisse, not laissent. Laissent belongs with ils/elles. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Nous laissent mon livre sur la table.” Right: “Nous laissons mon livre sur la table.” Why: Nous keeps its own form: laissons, not laissent. Learn nous and vous as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Mon livre sur la table” with the infinitive: “Je laisser mon livre sur la table.” Right: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table.” Why: The infinitive laisser never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form laisse.

  • Wrong: “Il est important que je laisse mon livre sur la table.” Right: “Il est important que je laisse mon livre sur la table.” Why: After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use laisse here, not the indicative laisse.

Quiz: laisser in the present

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Je ______ les clés à la maison.”

  • (A) laisses
  • (B) laissons
  • (C) laissez
  • (D) laisse

2. Complete the sentence: “Tu ______ partir Marie ce soir.”

  • (A) laisses
  • (B) laisse
  • (C) laissons
  • (D) laissez

3. Complete the sentence: “Il ______ mon livre sur la table.”

  • (A) laisses
  • (B) laissons
  • (C) laissez
  • (D) laisse

4. Complete the sentence: “Nous ______ les clés à la maison.”

  • (A) laissons
  • (B) laisse
  • (C) laisses
  • (D) laissez

5. Complete the sentence: “Vous ______ partir Marie ce soir.”

  • (A) laissons
  • (B) laissez
  • (C) laisse
  • (D) laisses

6. Complete the sentence: “Ils ______ mon livre sur la table.”

  • (A) laissons
  • (B) laissent
  • (C) laisse
  • (D) laisses

7. What does laisser mean in English?

  • (A) to leave, to let
  • (B) to follow
  • (C) to think
  • (D) to believe

8. What is the past participle of laisser?

  • (A) suivi
  • (B) pensé
  • (C) cru
  • (D) laissé

Answer key

  1. D) laisse — The je form is laisse.
  2. A) laisses — The tu form is laisses.
  3. D) laisse — The il/elle form is laisse.
  4. A) laissons — The nous form is laissons.
  5. B) laissez — The vous form is laissez.
  6. B) laissent — The ils/elles form is laissent.
  7. A) to leave, to let — laisser means “to leave, to let”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. D) laissé — The past participle of laisser is laissé; the present is formed with avoir + laissé.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of laisser formed?

The present of laisser is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving je laisse, tu laisses, il laisse, nous laissons, vous laissez, ils laissent.

When do I use the present of laisser?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.” For a finished past action, use the passé composé instead.

What is the difference between the present and the imperfect of laisser?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the imperfect describes what used to happen or was happening in the past. Compare “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” with “Je laissais mon livre sur la table autrefois.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it used to be.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for laisser, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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