belassen

Belassen is a German verb meaning to leave something as it is, to keep it in its current state, or to refrain from further action. It conveys an intentional maintenance of the status quo, rather than simply letting something go or abandoning it.

Usage and nuances

Belassen is transitive and typically takes a direct object: etwas belassen. It is common in formal or administrative contexts as well as everyday speech. Examples include leaving a rule unchanged (eine Regel unverändert belassen), leaving a door ajar (die Tür offen belassen), or deciding to leave a situation as it stands (Ich belasse es dabei). It is often used with phrases like unverändert belassen or beim bisherigen Zustand belassen to emphasize preservation of the present condition.

Conjugation and examples

In the present tense the forms are: ich belasse, du belässt, er belässt, wir belassen, ihr belasst, sie belassen. The past participle is belassen, and it is used with haben: Ich habe es belassen. The simple past (Präteritum) follows the regular weak-verb pattern: ich belass-te, du belass-test, er belass-te, wir belass-ten, ihr belass-tet, sie belass-ten. In context, a sentence might read: Der Staat belässt die Regelung unverändert. Ich belasse es so.

Etymology and related terms

Belassen derives from be- plus lassen, with be- imparting transitivity and a sense of causing or preserving a state. It is distinct from lassen in meaning, where lassen more broadly means “to let” or “to allow,” while belassen emphasizes leaving something as it stands.

See also

Lassen, unverändert belassen, maintenance of the status quo.