Lass uns später telefonieren.

Breakdown of Lass uns später telefonieren.

später
later
uns
us
lassen
to let
telefonieren
to talk on the phone
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Questions & Answers about Lass uns später telefonieren.

What does the structure Lass uns + infinitive do in German?
It’s the standard way to make a first‑person plural suggestion (“let’s …”). The finite verb is lass (imperative of lassen), followed by the object uns, and the main action is an infinitive at the end: Lass uns später telefonieren.
Why is it uns and not wir?
Because lassen takes an accusative object. In this construction, the object of lassen (uns) is the logical subject of the infinitive (telefonieren). Compare: Lass mich arbeiten. / Ich lasse sie warten.
Why isn’t there zu before telefonieren?
With lassen (like with modal verbs), use a bare infinitive: Lass uns … telefonieren, not Lass uns … zu telefonieren. You’d use zu elsewhere, e.g., Es ist besser, später zu telefonieren.
Is this sentence informal or polite? How do I say it formally?

Lass uns … is informal (for du). Polite options:

  • Lassen Sie uns später telefonieren.
  • Even more common as a polite request: Können wir später telefonieren? / Wollen wir später telefonieren?
What’s the difference between telefonieren and anrufen?
  • telefonieren = to have a phone conversation; no direct object. If you name the person, use mit: Ich telefoniere mit dir.
  • anrufen = to call (dial) someone; takes an object: Ich rufe dich später an. So your sentence proposes a conversation; “Call me later” would be Ruf mich später an.
Could I just say Wir telefonieren später?
Yes, but that’s a statement/plan (“we will”), not a clear suggestion. Lass uns später telefonieren proposes it. You can also suggest with: Telefonieren wir später? or Wollen wir später telefonieren?
Where can I put später? Is the word order fixed?

The infinitive telefonieren stays at the end. später is flexible:

  • Lass uns später telefonieren. (most common)
  • Später lass uns telefonieren. (stylistic; finite verb still in 2nd position) Expanded: Lass uns morgen Nachmittag kurz telefonieren. (Time–Manner–Place is a good guide.)
How do I say “Let’s not talk on the phone later”?
  • General negation: Lass uns später nicht telefonieren. (Don’t have the call later.)
  • If you mean “not later, but earlier,” put nicht before the time: Lass uns nicht später telefonieren (sondern früher).
What are the other imperative forms for “let’s …”?
  • Addressing one person (du): Lass uns …
  • Addressing several people (ihr): Lasst uns …
  • Formal (Sie): Lassen Sie uns … There’s also a true “we‑imperative”: Telefonieren wir später!, which is correct but less common.
Can I drop uns and just say Lass später telefonieren?
No; for the “let’s …” meaning, uns is required. Lass später telefonieren sounds ungrammatical/elliptical in standard German.
What do mal and doch add in Lass uns später mal (doch) telefonieren?

They’re softeners/nuance particles:

  • mal makes it casual: “let’s (just) … sometime.”
  • doch adds a persuasive/reminding tone. Together: Lass uns doch später mal telefonieren feels friendly and less pushy.
Is an exclamation mark required?
No. Imperatives often take !, but a period is fine: Lass uns später telefonieren. Use the punctuation that matches your tone.
How do I pronounce and spell the tricky parts?
  • Lass: short a; voiceless s; spelled with ss, not ß.
  • später: initial sp sounds like “shp”; ä like a long “e” (as in “bed,” lengthened).
  • telefonieren is stressed on -nier-: telefoNIERen. No umlauts? Write spaeter.
How do I mention the person explicitly?
With telefonieren, use mit: Lass uns später miteinander telefonieren (with each other) or Lass uns später mit Anna telefonieren. With anrufen, use a direct object: Rufen wir Anna später an.
What’s the nuance of später vs. nachher?
  • später = later (unspecified; possibly much later/another day).
  • nachher = a bit later, usually soon and the same day. So Lass uns nachher telefonieren suggests “a little later today.”