Breakdown of Je laisse mes chaussures sécher près de la porte.
je
I
près de
near
la chaussure
the shoe
la porte
the door
Questions & Answers about Je laisse mes chaussures sécher près de la porte.
What does laisse mean here? Is it leave or let?
Here laisse comes from laisser, which can mean both to leave and to let depending on context.
In this sentence, it has the idea of leaving something somewhere so that something can happen. So Je laisse mes chaussures sécher means something like:
- I leave my shoes to dry
- I let my shoes dry
Both ideas are present in French here.
Why is it Je laisse and not Je laisser?
Because je laisse is the conjugated form of the verb laisser in the present tense.
- laisser = the infinitive, to leave / to let
- je laisse = I leave / I let
So the sentence needs a conjugated verb first:
- Je laisse = I leave / I let
Then the second verb stays in the infinitive:
- sécher = to dry
Why is sécher in the infinitive?