Lassen Conjugation in German
lassen means “to let, to leave” in English, and it is one of the first verbs German learners meet — it sits at number 821 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for German verbs. You will meet it in everyday sentences such as “Ich lasse das Buch hier.” — “I leave the book here.” — 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 lassen — every tense, every person, the present participle and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: lassen
- English: to let, to leave
- Verb type: Irregular
- Irregular in: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative
- Present participle (Partizip I): lassend
- Past participle (Partizip II): gelassen
- Auxiliary: haben (all perfect tenses are formed with haben + the past participle)
- Pattern: strong in the verified tables
Pronunciation
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for lassen, 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 lassen in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about lassen
- It is irregular in 4 tense(s): present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. Learn those forms as a set rather than guessing them from the infinitive, because the regular pattern will not produce them.
- The perfect tenses use haben: the Perfekt is formed with haben in the present plus the past participle gelassen. The tables on this page give the participle in the form exactly as it appears in the verified dump; the participle itself does not change for person, only the auxiliary does.
- The participles are lassend and gelassen: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the present participle appears as an adjective and the past 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 lassen. Learn the present tense first, then the Perfekt and the preterite, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present (Präsens)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lasse |
| du | lässt |
| er/sie/es | lässt |
| wir | lassen |
| ihr | lasst |
| sie/Sie | lassen |
The present (Präsens) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. With lassen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Ich lasse mich in Ruhe.” — “I leave me alone.”
Preterite (Präteritum)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | ließ |
| du | ließt |
| er/sie/es | ließ |
| wir | ließen |
| ihr | ließt |
| sie/Sie | ließen |
The preterite (Präteritum) is used for completed actions in the past, mostly in written German and in stories. With lassen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Du ließt mich in Ruhe.” — “You left me alone.”
Perfect (Perfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | habe gelassen |
| du | hast gelassen |
| er/sie/es | hat gelassen |
| wir | haben gelassen |
| ihr | habt gelassen |
| sie/Sie | haben gelassen |
The perfect (Perfekt) is used for completed actions in the past, especially in spoken German. For example: “Er hat mich in Ruhe gelassen.” — “He has left me alone.”
Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hatte gelassen |
| du | hattest gelassen |
| er/sie/es | hatte gelassen |
| wir | hatten gelassen |
| ihr | hattet gelassen |
| sie/Sie | hatten gelassen |
The pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Ich hatte mich in Ruhe gelassen.” — “I had left me alone.”
Future (Futur I)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde lassen |
| du | wirst lassen |
| er/sie/es | wird lassen |
| wir | werden lassen |
| ihr | werdet lassen |
| sie/Sie | werden lassen |
The future (Futur I) is used for what will happen, for predictions and for intentions. For example: “Ich werde mich in Ruhe lassen.” — “I will leave me alone.”
Future perfect (Futur II)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | werde gelassen haben |
| du | wirst gelassen haben |
| er/sie/es | wird gelassen haben |
| wir | werden gelassen haben |
| ihr | werdet gelassen haben |
| sie/Sie | werden gelassen haben |
The future perfect (Futur II) is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Du wirst mich in Ruhe gelassen haben.” — “You will have left me alone.”
Konjunktiv I
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | lasse |
| du | lassest |
| er/sie/es | lasse |
| wir | lassen |
| ihr | lasset |
| sie/Sie | lassen |
Konjunktiv I is used for reported speech — reporting what someone else said — and in formal written German. For example: “Er lasse mich in Ruhe.” — “He leaves me alone.”
Konjunktiv II (conditional)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | ließe |
| du | ließest |
| er/sie/es | ließe |
| wir | ließen |
| ihr | ließet |
| sie/Sie | ließen |
Konjunktiv II is used for hypothetical situations, wishes and polite requests. It doubles as the German conditional: there is no separate conditional tense, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not an engine tense. For example: “Ich ließe mich in Ruhe.” — “I would leave me alone.”
Conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + participle)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | hätte gelassen |
| du | hättest gelassen |
| er/sie/es | hätte gelassen |
| wir | hätten gelassen |
| ihr | hättet gelassen |
| sie/Sie | hätten gelassen |
The conditional perfect (Konjunktiv II + past participle) is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Er hätte mich in Ruhe gelassen.” — “He would have left me alone.”
Imperative (Imperativ)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| du | lass |
| wir | lassen |
| ihr | lasst |
| sie/Sie | lassen |
The imperative (Imperativ) is used for direct commands, requests and instructions. With lassen this tense is irregular, so the forms do not follow the regular pattern — learn them as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive. For example: “Lass mich in Ruhe!” — “Leave me alone!”
Present participle (Partizip I)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Present participle (Partizip I) | lassend |
The present participle (Partizip I) is used as an adjective or adverb, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle lassend is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective.
Past participle (Partizip II)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Past participle (Partizip II) | gelassen |
The past participle (Partizip II) is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Ich habe das Buch hier gelassen.” — “I have left the book here.”
Infinitive (Infinitiv)
| Form | German |
|---|---|
| Infinitive | lassen |
The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb, used after modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive. The infinitive is the dictionary form of the verb: it is the form you look up, and the form that follows modal verbs and other verbs that take an infinitive.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with lassen, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the German and try to produce it from the English.
- “Ich lasse das Buch hier.” — “I leave the book here.”
- “Du ließt mich in Ruhe.” — “You left me alone.”
- “Er hat den Hund im Garten gelassen.” — “He has left the dog in the garden.”
- “Ich werde das Buch hier lassen.” — “I will leave the book here.”
- “Du ließest mich in Ruhe.” — “You would leave me alone.”
- “Ich hatte den Hund im Garten gelassen.” — “I had left the dog in the garden.”
- “Du wirst mich in Ruhe gelassen haben.” — “You will have left me alone.”
- “Er lasse den Hund im Garten.” — “He leaves the dog in the garden.”
- “Ich hätte das Buch hier gelassen.” — “I would have left the book here.”
- “Lass das Buch hier!” — “Leave the book here!”
Common mistakes
1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form
✗ Wrong: “Ich lassen das Buch hier.”
✓ Right: “Ich lasse das Buch hier.”
The infinitive lassen never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form lasse.
2. Using the wrong person’s form
✗ Wrong: “Ich lassen das Buch hier.”
✓ Right: “Ich lasse das Buch hier.”
lassen is the sie form, not the ich form. Match the verb to the subject every time: ich goes with lasse.
3. Using the present for a finished past action
✗ Wrong: “Ich lasse das Buch hier gestern.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe das Buch hier gelassen.”
The time word gestern points to the past, so a finished action needs the Perfekt habe gelassen, not the present.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich bin das Buch hier gelassen.”
✓ Right: “Ich habe das Buch hier gelassen.”
The Perfekt of lassen is formed with haben plus the past participle gelassen: the ich form is habe gelassen. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the preterite where spoken German prefers the Perfekt
✗ Wrong: “Ich ließ das Buch hier gestern.” (in everyday speech)
✓ Right: “Ich habe das Buch hier gelassen.”
In everyday spoken German the Perfekt habe gelassen is the usual past tense. The preterite ließ is correct in writing and in stories, but it sounds formal in conversation.
6. Using the du form when talking to a group
✗ Wrong: “Lass das Buch hier!” (said to several people)
✓ Right: “Lasst das Buch hier!”
The du imperative lass is for one person you know well. For a group, use the ihr form lasst.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on lassen. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the ich form of lassen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) lasse
- B) lässt
- C) lassen
- D) lasst
What is the er/sie/es form of lassen in the Preterite (Präteritum)?
- A) ließt
- B) ließen
- C) lässt
- D) ließ
What is the er/sie/es form of lassen in the Perfect (Perfekt)?
- A) haben gelassen
- B) hat gelassen
- C) habe gelassen
- D) hast gelassen
What is the du form of lassen in the Future (Futur I)?
- A) werden lassen
- B) wirst lassen
- C) werde lassen
- D) wird lassen
What is the ich form of lassen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional)?
- A) ließen
- B) ließet
- C) ließe
- D) ließest
What is the wir form of lassen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt)?
- A) hattest gelassen
- B) hattet gelassen
- C) hatten gelassen
- D) hatte gelassen
What is the er/sie/es form of lassen in the Konjunktiv I?
- A) lasse
- B) lassest
- C) lassen
- D) lasset
What is the du form of lassen in the Imperative (Imperativ)?
- A) lässt
- B) lass
- C) lassen
- D) lasst
What is the past participle of lassen?
- A) gearbeitet
- B) gespielt
- C) gelassen
- D) gebracht
What does lassen mean in English?
- A) to let, to leave
- B) to bring
- C) to work
- D) to play
Answer key
- A) lasse — the ich form of lassen in the Present (Präsens) is lasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) ließ — the er/sie/es form of lassen in the Preterite (Präteritum) is ließ. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) hat gelassen — the er/sie/es form of lassen in the Perfect (Perfekt) is hat gelassen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) wirst lassen — the du form of lassen in the Future (Futur I) is wirst lassen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) ließe — the ich form of lassen in the Konjunktiv II (conditional) is ließe. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) hatten gelassen — the wir form of lassen in the Pluperfect (Plusquamperfekt) is hatten gelassen. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) lasse — the er/sie/es form of lassen in the Konjunktiv I is lasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) lass — the du form of lassen in the Imperative (Imperativ) is lass. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) gelassen — the past participle of lassen is gelassen; it is used with haben in the perfect tenses. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
- A) to let, to leave — lassen means “to let, to leave” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.
Frequently asked questions
What does lassen mean in English?
lassen means “to let, to leave”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is lassen regular or irregular?
lassen is irregular, and it is irregular in these tenses: present, preterite, past-participle, imperative. The present participle is lassend and the past participle is gelassen.
What are the participles of lassen?
The present participle (Partizip I) is lassend — use it as an adjective for an ongoing action. The past participle (Partizip II) is gelassen — use it with haben for the perfect tenses, as in habe gelassen.
Which auxiliary does lassen take in the Perfekt?
lassen takes haben in the Perfekt: the ich form is habe gelassen. All four perfect tenses on this page are built with haben plus the past participle gelassen.
Does German have a separate conditional tense?
No. Konjunktiv II doubles as the conditional: the ich form ließe is the form you use for “would” meanings, and the periphrastic alternative with würde + infinitive is not a separate engine tense. The conditional perfect hätte gelassen covers “would have” meanings.
How do I say “I leave the book here” in German?
Say “Ich lasse das Buch hier.” — “I leave the book here.” The ich form of the present is lasse, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of lassen — every tense of lassen in one place.
- Lassen in the Perfekt tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Lassen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Bringen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Arbeiten conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- Spielen conjugation — another everyday German verb.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — practise lassen with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise lassen with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise lassen with the interactive tool.