Breakdown of Wir lassen den Mantel in der Reinigung reinigen.
in
in
wir
we
der Mantel
the coat
lassen
to have something done (causative)
die Reinigung
the dry cleaner
reinigen
to clean (formally, thoroughly)
Questions & Answers about Wir lassen den Mantel in der Reinigung reinigen.
How exactly does lassen work in this sentence to mean "having it cleaned"?
When you use lassen together with another verb in its infinitive form (here, reinigen), it acts as a causative verb. This means you are causing an action to happen by having someone else do it for you. It translates to the English structure "to have [something] done" or "to get [something] done."
Why is the second verb reinigen placed at the very end of the sentence?
When lassen is used this way, it behaves structurally just like a modal verb (such as können or müssen). The conjugated verb lassen takes the second position in the sentence, and the action verb reinigen is pushed to the very end in its infinitive (unconjugated) form.
Why does this sentence say in der Reinigung (dative) instead of in die Reinigung (accusative)?
The preposition in is a two-way preposition. You use the dative case when describing a fixed location (answering "where?"), and the accusative for a destination (answering "where to?"). Since the cleaning happens at the dry cleaner's, we use the dative feminine form der Reinigung.
It sounds repetitive to say in der Reinigung reinigen. Is this considered natural German?
Yes, it is perfectly natural! Die Reinigung is the standard word for "the dry cleaner" (the business), and reinigen is the verb "to clean." Germans don't mind the repetition here; it's the standard way to express getting clothes professionally cleaned.
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