Breakdown of Lässt sich die alte Version wiederherstellen?
alt
old
sich
oneself / himself / herself / themselves (reflexive pronoun)
der
who, which, that (relative pronoun; die, das)
sich lassen
can be done (reflexive + infinitive)
die Version
the version
wiederherstellen
to restore
Questions & Answers about Lässt sich die alte Version wiederherstellen?
Why does this sentence use "lässt sich" instead of the passive voice to mean "can be restored"?
The structure sich lassen + an infinitive verb (here, wiederherstellen) is a very common, elegant alternative to the passive voice. It specifically expresses possibility—that something can be done. You could say Kann die alte Version wiederhergestellt werden? (Can the old version be restored?), but Lässt sich... wiederherstellen? sounds more natural and avoids the clunky double-infinitive feel of the true passive.
Is "die alte Version" the subject or the object in this sentence?
It is the grammatical subject, so it is in the nominative case. Even though the version is the thing being restored, the literal phrasing in German is "Does the old version let itself be restored?". Because die alte Version is the subject, the conjugated verb lässt must match it in the third-person singular.
Is "wiederherstellen" a separable verb? Why is it written as one long word here?
Yes, it is a separable verb built from wieder (again) and herstellen (to produce/create). However, because the sich lassen construction acts like a modal verb, it pushes the second verb to the very end of the sentence in its full, unbroken infinitive form. If you used it as the main verb in a standard sentence, it would split: Ich stelle die Version wieder her.
Could I just say "wiederstellen" to mean "restore"?
No, you need the her in there. The core verb here isn't just stellen (to put/place), but herstellen (to produce, manufacture, or establish). Adding wieder to herstellen creates the specific meaning of "to restore" or "to recover" (like a file, a building, or someone's health).
Learn Lässt sich die alte Version wiederherstellen 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