Dutch Verb Laten (to 'let,' to allow etc.) - Smartphones Page

Laten is a strong verb:

laten to 'let'

-

liet let

-

gelaten let

overview
laten		to 'let' allow
ik laat		I let
wij laten		we let
ik liet		I let
wij lieten		we let
ik heb gelaten		I have let
2

simple present tense
laten		to let
ik laat		I let
jij laat		you let (singular, informal you)
hij laat		he lets
wij laten		we let
jullie laten		you let (plural, informal you)
zij laten		they let
U laat		you let (polite you)

simple past tense
(laten)		to let
ik liet		I let
jij liet		you let
hij liet		he let
wij lieten		we let
jullie lieten		y'all let
zij lieten		they let
U liet		you let
2
present perfect tense

ik heb gelaten 2 I have let
- is unusual, only used for the 'independent' verb. More common is the 'modal' form
ik heb laten 2 I have let
auxiliary verb hebben

Sample Sentences: 'Laten' as A Simple Verb

Laat maar Let it be, don't bother (sometimes said when the speaker doesn't feel like an argument or further explanation)

Als je dat maar laat! 2 3 ['If only you don't do that'] - Leave it out, don't do that

Laat de boel de boel [Let the things be the things] - Leave things as they are (for a moment) - take a break

Ik heb 't maar zo gelaten 2 I just left it like that (I was done with it)

een wind laten 2 to fart

(iets) overlaten aan leaving (something) to Laat het aan de vakman over Leave it to the professionals (Dutch uses the singular 'professional')

te water laten 2 [to let to the water] - to launch a ship

met rust laten 'to leave in peace,' not bother someone, 'to leave alone' Ze hebben ons met rust gelaten 2 They have left us alone, they didn't bother us Laat 'm met rust 2 Leave him alone, don't bother him

in de steek laten 2 3 to abandon (people) - to desert (people) - to let down (people) - 'to leave in the lurch' Ze hebben ons in de steek gelaten 2 3 They abandoned us, They let us down, They didn't stand with us

een veer laten to [leave] drop a feather - to lose some serious money Hij moest een veer laten 2 3 He [had to lose] lost a lot of money

'Achterlaten' 2 'to leave behind' (go away from a place without taking someone or something) is a splitting compound verb:

achterlaten		to leave behind
ik laat achter		I'm leaving behind
ik liet achter		I left behind
ik heb achtergelaten		I have left behind

Laat 't niet achter 2 3 4 Don't leave it behind, do bring it back Zonder iets achter te laten 2 3 4 without leaving anything behind, not leaving anything behind Ik liet hem achter in Babylon 2 3 I left him (behind) in Babylon

toelaten 2 'to allow, permit' (actions, behavior) - also: 'to allow entry, to admit' niet toelaten 2 'to disallow, not permit' - and also: 'not admit, not allow entry' niet toestaan (only) 'not allow, not permit' (actions, behavior) verboden toegang 'entry not allowed, stay out!'

'Nalaten' 2 meaning 'failing to do, refraining from' is a bit old-fashioned - but it can also mean 'to leave behind, to bequeath' (when you die.)
(de) nalatenschap 2 legacy, inheritance, heritage, estate

Sample Sentences: 'Laten' Combined with Other Verbs

Laat maar zitten 2 3 [Let it sit] - It's OK, don't bother (usually said when you pay, offering the change as a tip, 'no need to give me the change') de kraan laten lopen 2 letting the [faucet] water run

Laat het een les zijn 2 3 Let it be a lesson, See it as a lesson, Consider it to be a lesson (Learn from it)

Laten we tot morgen wachten (Let us) Let's wait till tomorrow

Laat 't afkoelen 2 Let it, allow it to cool down

Laat ik dat eerst even doen 2 Let me [take a moment to] do that first

Dat laat ik me niet zeggen! 2 3 [I don't allow that to be said about me] - You can't say that to me (about me)

Leven en laten leven 2 Live and let live Laat me leven 2 3 Let me live (Don't kill me)

Laten we aan 't werk gaan 2 3 4 Let's get to work, let's start working, start the job

Laat je thee niet koud worden 2 3 Don't let your tea get cold

Laat 't twintig minuten koken 2 3 Let it boil for 20 minutes
In English, you could as well say: 'cook for 20 minutes,' but in Dutch using 'laten' is better.

Ik wil niks verloren laten gaan 2 [I want nothing ... - I don't want to let anything get lost] - I don't want anything go to waste

Laten we niet te hard van stapel lopen (saying) [Let's not launch too quickly] - Let's not go ahead too fast

Hij laat er geen gras over groeien 2 3 (saying) ['He doesn't let (allow) grass grow over it'] - he's taking action immediately

Laat je handjes maar eens wapperen 2 (saying) ['Make your (little) hands wave frantically, snap'] - Get active! Get cracking!

De vorige eigenaar had het huis roze laten verven The previous owner had had the house painted pink

English sometimes has one verb where Dutch has a combination of laten with another verb, for instance laten zien 2 ['to let see'] - to show

laten zien		to show
ik laat zien		I'm showing
wij laten zien		we're showing
ik liet zien		I showed
wij lieten zien		we showed
ik heb laten zien		I have shown

Ik heb laten zien 2 I have shown Ik heb moeten laten zien I had to show, I was forced to show Hij liet ons een paar foto's zien 2 He showed us some pictures Ik liet de brief aan Jan zien 2 3 I showed the letter to John
Actually, in both English and Dutch this can mean 'I showed a certain letter (from someone else) to Jan' and 'I showed the letter to Jan to someone'

Also: Hij liet ons een paar liedjes horen 2 He let us hear a few songs, he played some songs for us

Van zich laten horen 2 3 ['to let hear of yourself'] - to communicate, to be in touch - usually in the negative with:
'niet' 2 (not) or
'niks' / 'niets' ('nothing') Hij laat niks van zich horen 2 He is not in touch ('We are not hearing from him') Hij heeft niks van zich laten horen 2 He has not been in touch ('We have not heard from him') Ze laten niet van zich horen 2 They are not in touch ('We are not hearing from them') We hadden iets van ons moeten laten horen 2 3 We should have been in touch, we should have contacted

laten vallen 2 'to let fall,' to drop

laten vallen		to drop
ik laat vallen		I drop
wij laten vallen		we drop
ik liet vallen		I dropped
wij lieten vallen		we dropped
ik heb laten vallen		I have dropped

Hij laat alles vallen 2 3 He lets everything slip from his hands, he drops everything (also figuratively)

Ik liet alles vallen 2 I let everything slip from my hands, I dropped everything (also figuratively)

Hij liet het masker vallen 2 3 He dropped the mask (and showed his real - usually evil - self)

laten liggen 2 3 'to let lie' - either not cleaning up and putting things away or not using a chance, letting an opportunity pass by

Lies is lastig en laat alles liggen Lies is a pain-in-the-neck and doesn't clean up

Dutch schrikken 2 3 4 is 'to be shocked' or 'to be frightened'
It's a strong verb: schrikken / schrok / geschrokken 2 3
(het) schrikdraad 'electric fence'
(het) schrikbewind 2 3 'reign of terror, rule by fear'

Ik schrok van de prijs 2 I was shocked, taken aback by the price

laten schrikken 2 to frighten, to shock

Je laat me schrikken 2 You startled me, you frightened me for a moment

Ik heb de eieren laten schrikken [I have startled the eggs] - put just-boiled eggs in cold water (for easier peeling)

Sometimes, 'Laten' is translated by other words than 'to let' or 'to leave'

Hij liet ons een uur wachten 2 3 4 He made us wait for an hour

Laat me niet lachen 2 Don't make me laugh (What you're suggesting is ridiculous)

Related Words

Ik mag geen varkensvlees eten
[I'm not allowed to] I can't eat pork (doctor's orders, religion)
- More on the Mogen page

'Laat' (laat/late 2) can be an adjective or adverb meaning 'late, not in/on time,' 'later than expected' or 'at the end of a time frame' - more

English 'to let' meaning 'to rent out, to lease' (receiving money for letting people use items you own) is verhuren 2
(de) verhuur 'the renting out'
'To rent,' paying money for use is huren in Dutch

huren to rent
ik huur	I am renting
wij huren	we are renting
ik huurde	I rented
wij huurden	we rented
ik heb gehuurd	I have rented
	- more

'To buy' is kopen
Like in English, it is a strong verb:

kopen to buy

-

kocht bought

-

gekocht bought

kopen		to buy
ik koop		I'm buying
wij kopen		we are buying
ik kocht		I bought
wij kochten		we bought
ik heb gekocht		I have bought

'Kopen' Full Conjugation (and related words)

Letland is 'Latvia' and a person from that country is (een ) Let 2 '(a) Latvian'
Lithuania is Litouwen and Estonia is Estland
A part of the Latvia/Estonia area was called Lijfland 2 ('Livonia')
De Oostzee 2 'The Baltic Sea'
From the late Middle Ages there was trade between cities in what's now The Netherlands and the Baltic.
- Dutch Names of Foreign Lands etc.

'Opletten' 2 3 means 'to pay attention, to check.' It's a splitting verb:

opletten		to pay attention
ik let op		I'm paing attention
ik lette op		I paid attention
ik heb opgelet		I have paid attention
2

Let op! 2 3
Opgelet! 2 3 4 5 Pay attention! (Something you need to see (hear, feel) will happen shortly) Pas op! Watch out! Be careful! oplettend 2 3 attentive, paying good attention oplettende lezertjes ... 2 3 attentive young readers ... (Marten Toonder)

Hij zit niet goed op te letten 2 3 He's not paying close attention

Je moet goed opletten 2 3 You have to pay close attention

We hadden goed opgelet tijdens de les 2 We had paid close attention during the lesson

'Letten op' 2 3 is used when there's a specific item or person to be watched

Let maar niet op mij 2 Now don't pay attention to me (I'm doing my own thing)

We hebben goed op de temperatuur gelet 2 We paid close attention to the temperature

Hij let er niet op 2 He's not paying attention to it

Hij let nergens op 2 3 [He's not paying attention to anything] ~ he's extremely careless

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