Breakdown of Mein neuer Partner lässt den Schlüssel nachmachen.
neu
new
der Schlüssel
the key
mein
my
der Partner
the partner (male)
Questions & Answers about Mein neuer Partner lässt den Schlüssel nachmachen.
Why does this sentence translate to 'is having the key duplicated' instead of 'is duplicating the key'?
This is the causative use of lassen. When you use lassen plus another verb in the infinitive (nachmachen), it means you are causing an action to happen by having someone else do it for you. So, lässt ... nachmachen means he is getting the key copied by a professional, not filing the metal down himself.
Why is the verb nachmachen placed at the very end of the sentence?
When used to express having something done, lassen behaves just like a modal verb (such as können or wollen). The conjugated verb lässt takes the second position in the sentence, which pushes the main action verb (nachmachen) all the way to the end in its basic infinitive form.
Since nachmachen is a separable verb, why isn't the nach- prefix separated here?
You only split off the prefix when the separable verb is the conjugated verb doing the action (like in the sentence: Er macht den Schlüssel nach). Because lässt is the conjugated verb here, nachmachen is pushed to the end in its full dictionary form, so the prefix stays firmly attached.
Why is it neuer Partner with an -er ending instead of neue Partner?