Laisser Conjugation in French
laisser means “to leave, to let” in English, and it is one of the first verbs French learners meet — it sits at number 24 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for French verbs. You use it whenever you talk about leaving my book on the table, and because it comes up in everyday conversation so often, learning its forms properly pays off from the very first week. This page gives you the complete conjugation of laisser — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: laisser
- English: to leave, to let
- Verb type: Regular
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: laissant
- Past participle: laissé
- Auxiliary: avoir (all perfect tenses are formed with avoir + the past participle)
- Ending: -er verbs; pattern er in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read laisser in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about laisser
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -er pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions.
- The perfect tenses use avoir: the present perfect is formed with avoir in the present plus the past participle laissé. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is laissant and the participle is laissé: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for laisser. Learn the present tense first, then the passé composé and the imperfect, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laisse |
| tu | laisses |
| il/elle | laisse |
| nous | laissons |
| vous | laissez |
| ils/elles | laissent |
The present indicative is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Je laisse les clés à la maison tous les jours.” — “I leave the keys at home every day.”
Passé simple
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laissai |
| tu | laissas |
| il/elle | laissa |
| nous | laissâmes |
| vous | laissâtes |
| ils/elles | laissèrent |
The passé simple is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written and literary French. For example: “Tu laissas les clés à la maison hier.” — “You left the keys at home yesterday.”
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laissais |
| tu | laissais |
| il/elle | laissait |
| nous | laissions |
| vous | laissiez |
| ils/elles | laissaient |
The imperfect is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Il laissait les clés à la maison autrefois.” — “He used to leave the keys at home in the past.”
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laisserai |
| tu | laisseras |
| il/elle | laissera |
| nous | laisserons |
| vous | laisserez |
| ils/elles | laisseront |
The future is used for what will happen, for predictions and for probability. For example: “Je laisserai les clés à la maison demain.” — “I will leave the keys at home tomorrow.”
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laisserais |
| tu | laisserais |
| il/elle | laisserait |
| nous | laisserions |
| vous | laisseriez |
| ils/elles | laisseraient |
The conditional is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Tu laisserais les clés à la maison un jour.” — “You would leave the keys at home one day.”
Present perfect (passé composé)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | ai laissé |
| tu | as laissé |
| il/elle | a laissé |
| nous | avons laissé |
| vous | avez laissé |
| ils/elles | ont laissé |
The present perfect (passé composé) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken French. For example: “Il a laissé les clés à la maison cette semaine.” — “He has left the keys at home this week.”
Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | avais laissé |
| tu | avais laissé |
| il/elle | avait laissé |
| nous | avions laissé |
| vous | aviez laissé |
| ils/elles | avaient laissé |
The pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “J'avais laissé les clés à la maison avant la fête.” — “I had left the keys at home before the party.”
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurai laissé |
| tu | auras laissé |
| il/elle | aura laissé |
| nous | aurons laissé |
| vous | aurez laissé |
| ils/elles | auront laissé |
The future perfect is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Tu auras laissé les clés à la maison pour demain.” — “You will have left the keys at home by tomorrow.”
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | aurais laissé |
| tu | aurais laissé |
| il/elle | aurait laissé |
| nous | aurions laissé |
| vous | auriez laissé |
| ils/elles | auraient laissé |
The conditional perfect is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Il aurait laissé les clés à la maison hier.” — “He would have left the keys at home yesterday.”
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laisse |
| tu | laisses |
| il/elle | laisse |
| nous | laissions |
| vous | laissiez |
| ils/elles | laissent |
The present subjunctive is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “Il est important que je laisse les clés à la maison.” — “It is important that I leave the keys at home.”
Imperfect subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | laissasse |
| tu | laissasses |
| il/elle | laissât |
| nous | laissassions |
| vous | laissassiez |
| ils/elles | laissassent |
The imperfect subjunctive is used in formal written French for past wishes and hypotheticals after que. For example: “Il est important que tu laissasses les clés à la maison.” — “It is important that you leave the keys at home.”
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | laisse |
| nous | laissons |
| vous | laissez |
The imperative (affirmative) is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Laisse les clés à la maison !” — “Leave the keys at home!”
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | laisse |
| nous | laissons |
| vous | laissez |
The imperative (negative) is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Ne laisse pas les clés à la maison.” — “Do not leave the keys at home.”
Gerund
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Gerund | en laissant |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, usually after en. For example: “En laissant mon livre sur la table, je passe un bon moment.” — “While leaving my book on the table, I have a good time.”
Past participle
| Form | French |
|---|---|
| Past participle | laissé |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “J'ai laissé mon livre sur la table cette semaine.” — “I have left my book on the table this week.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with laisser, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the French and try to produce it from the English.
- “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.”
- “Tu laissas les clés à la maison hier.” — “You left the keys at home yesterday.”
- “Il laissait partir Marie ce soir autrefois.” — “He used to leave Marie leave this evening in the past.”
- “Je laisserai mon livre sur la table demain.” — “I will leave my book on the table tomorrow.”
- “Tu laisserais les clés à la maison un jour.” — “You would leave the keys at home one day.”
- “Il a laissé partir Marie ce soir cette semaine.” — “He has left Marie leave this evening this week.”
- “J'avais laissé mon livre sur la table avant la fête.” — “I had left my book on the table before the party.”
- “Tu auras laissé les clés à la maison pour demain.” — “You will have left the keys at home by tomorrow.”
- “Il est important que il laisse partir Marie ce soir.” — “It is important that he leave Marie leave this evening.”
- “Laisse mon livre sur la table !” — “Leave my book on the table!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Je laisser mon livre sur la table.”
✓ Right: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table.”
The infinitive laisser never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form laisse.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Je laissent mon livre sur la table.”
✓ Right: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table.”
laissent is the ils/elles form, not the je form. Match the verb to the subject every time: je goes with laisse.
3. Using the passé simple for a present habit
✗ Wrong: “Je laissai mon livre sur la table tous les jours.”
✓ Right: “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.”
The passé simple laissai describes one finished past action. For something that happens every day, use the present laisse.
4. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “Il est important que je laisse mon livre sur la table.”
✓ Right: “Il est important que je laisse mon livre sur la table.”
After il est important que French needs the subjunctive, so use laisse here, not the indicative laisse.
5. Using the wrong auxiliary in the passé composé
✗ Wrong: “Je suis laissé mon livre sur la table.”
✓ Right: “Je ai laissé mon livre sur la table.”
The passé composé of laisser is formed with avoir plus the past participle laissé: the je form is ai laissé. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
6. Dropping a written accent
✗ Wrong: “laisse” written without its accent
✓ Right: “laisse”
Accents are part of the spelling in French. Write the form exactly as it appears in the table, accent included, or it looks like a different word.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on laisser. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the je form of laisser in the Present indicative?
- A) laisses
- B) laissons
- C) laissez
- D) laisse
What is the il/elle form of laisser in the Passé simple?
- A) laissai
- B) laissas
- C) laissâmes
- D) laissa
What is the nous form of laisser in the Imperfect?
- A) laissais
- B) laissait
- C) laissiez
- D) laissions
What is the tu form of laisser in the Future?
- A) laisserons
- B) laisseras
- C) laisserai
- D) laissera
What is the je form of laisser in the Conditional?
- A) laisserais
- B) laisserait
- C) laisserions
- D) laisseriez
What is the il/elle form of laisser in the Present perfect (passé composé)?
- A) as laissé
- B) avons laissé
- C) a laissé
- D) ai laissé
What is the il/elle form of laisser in the Present subjunctive?
- A) laisses
- B) laissions
- C) laissiez
- D) laisse
What is the je form of laisser in the Imperfect subjunctive?
- A) laissasse
- B) laissasses
- C) laissât
- D) laissassions
What is the gerund of laisser?
- A) en pensant
- B) en croyant
- C) en laissant
- D) en suivant
What does laisser mean in English?
- A) to leave, to let
- B) to follow
- C) to think
- D) to believe
Answer key
- D) laisse — the je form of laisser in the Present indicative is laisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) laissa — the il/elle form of laisser in the Passé simple is laissa. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) laissions — the nous form of laisser in the Imperfect is laissions. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) laisseras — the tu form of laisser in the Future is laisseras. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) laisserais — the je form of laisser in the Conditional is laisserais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) a laissé — the il/elle form of laisser in the Present perfect (passé composé) is a laissé. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) laisse — the il/elle form of laisser in the Present subjunctive is laisse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) laissasse — the je form of laisser in the Imperfect subjunctive is laissasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) en laissant — the gerund of laisser is en laissant; it is used after en for actions happening at the same time as another action. The other options are the gerunds of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to leave, to let — laisser means “to leave, to let” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does laisser mean in English?
laisser means “to leave, to let”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is laisser regular or irregular?
laisser is regular: it follows the ordinary -er pattern in every tense. The gerund is laissant and the past participle is laissé.
What are the gerund and past participle of laisser?
The gerund is laissant — use it after en for an action happening at the same time as another action. The past participle is laissé — use it with avoir for the perfect tenses, as in ai laissé.
Which auxiliary does laisser take in the passé composé?
laisser takes avoir in the passé composé: the je form is ai laissé. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with avoir plus the past participle laissé.
How do I say “I leave” in French?
Say “Je laisse mon livre sur la table tous les jours.” — “I leave my book on the table every day.” The je form of the present is laisse, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of laisser — every tense of laisser in one place.
- Laisser in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Laisser examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Suivre conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Penser conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- Croire conjugation — another everyday French verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise laisser with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise laisser with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise laisser with the interactive tool.