Ein alter Reifen ist gefährlich, deshalb lasse ich ihn in der Werkstatt wechseln.

Questions & Answers about Ein alter Reifen ist gefährlich, deshalb lasse ich ihn in der Werkstatt wechseln.

How does lassen work with wechseln in this sentence?
Here, lassen acts as a causative verb, meaning you arrange for someone else to do an action for you. It translates to "I have it changed" or "I get it changed" in English. The conjugated verb lasse takes the normal verb position, and the action being performed goes to the very end of the clause in its infinitive form (wechseln).
The English translation says "having it changed", which is passive. Where is the passive grammar in the German sentence?
There isn't any! German simply uses the active infinitive wechseln together with lassen to express this idea. You don't need a complicated passive structure like gewechselt werden here; lassen plus an active infinitive perfectly captures the meaning of "having something done" by a third party.
Why is the word order deshalb lasse ich instead of deshalb ich lasse?
The word deshalb (therefore) is an adverb, not a coordinating conjunction like und or aber. Because it occupies the first position of the second clause, the verb lasse must stay in the strict second position. This pushes the subject ich into the third position.
Why do we use the pronoun ihn instead of es?
The pronoun ihn refers back to Ein alter Reifen (an old tire). Because Reifen is a masculine noun, it takes a masculine pronoun. It is in the accusative case (ihn instead of er) because the tire is the direct object receiving the action (it is the thing being changed).
Quick refresher: Why is the adjective ending -er in Ein alter Reifen?
Reifen is a masculine noun acting as the subject of the first clause (nominative case). Because the indefinite article Ein does not show the masculine gender ending on its own, the adjective alt must step up and take the strong ending -er to signal that the noun is masculine.

Learn Ein alter Reifen ist gefährlich, deshalb lasse ich ihn in der Werkstatt wechseln and more in German

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • Practice with interactive exercises
  • Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • Learn at your own pace — completely free