Breakdown of Wenn die Schublade klemmt, lasse ich sie von meinem Bruder reparieren.
ich
I
mein
my
der Bruder
the brother
wenn
when
sie
it
von
by
reparieren
to repair
die Schublade
the drawer
klemmen
to stick
lassen
to have
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Questions & Answers about Wenn die Schublade klemmt, lasse ich sie von meinem Bruder reparieren.
Why is lassen used in this sentence, and what does it mean here?
Here lassen is used in its causative sense: it means “to have something done (by someone else).” Unlike the permission‐giving lassen (“to let”), this construction shows that you arrange for a repair. Grammatically, lassen is a catenative (semi‐modal) verb that takes a direct object (sie, referring to the drawer) and an infinitive (reparieren) at the end.
Why does the sentence read lasse ich sie … instead of ich lasse sie …?
Because the sentence begins with the subordinate clause Wenn die Schublade klemmt, the main clause follows after a comma with the finite verb in first position (this is the V-first rule in German when a subordinate clause comes first). The subject ich then comes in second position.
Why is reparieren placed at the end of the clause?
In German, verbs that take another verb as an infinitive (like lassen) form a so-called verb cluster. The finite verb (lasse) appears early in the main clause, and the non-finite verb (reparieren) moves to the very end, after any objects or adverbials.
Which case is sie in lasse ich sie reparieren, and why?
The pronoun sie is accusative singular feminine, because it refers back to die Schublade (feminine noun) as the direct object of lassen. In clauses with pronouns and infinitives, the pronoun typically precedes the infinitive.
What is the function of von meinem Bruder and why is von used?
von meinem Bruder marks the agent (the person who actually does the work) in this passive-like, causative construction. In German, agents in passive or passive-style clauses are introduced with von, which takes the dative case (hence meinem Bruder).
Could you use the true passive voice with werden instead of lassen here?
Yes. The equivalent passive sentence is:
Wenn die Schublade klemmt, wird sie von meinem Bruder repariert.
That uses werden + past participle. But lassen (causative) emphasizes that you arrange or commission your brother to do the repair.
Why is the present tense lasse used rather than a future form?
German often uses the present tense to talk about the future when context makes the timing clear. Here lasse ich sie reparieren naturally means “I will have it repaired.” If you want an explicit future, you’d say:
Ich werde sie von meinem Bruder reparieren lassen.
Is lassen considered a modal verb since it appears with an infinitive?
No—lassen is not one of the core modal verbs (können, müssen, etc.). It’s a catenative or semi-modal verb: it governs an infinitive without zu and shares some word-order properties with true modals, but grammatically it behaves slightly differently.