liet

Liet is the past tense form of the Dutch verb laten, meaning to let, allow, or cause. It is used with singular subjects in the simple past (preterite). The corresponding plural past tense is lieten. The past participle of laten is gelaten, used with hebben in perfect tenses (for example, We hebben de deur open gelaten).

Usage and meaning: laten covers a range from permitting to causing someone or something to do something. In causative constructions, laten + infinitive expresses that one person causes another to perform an action. For example: Hij liet de deur op een kier staan (He left the door ajar). Zij liet haar broer het werk afmaken (She had/let her brother finish the work). In present contexts, laat is the present tense form (hij laat, zij laat).

Morphology: the present tense of laten is laat for third person singular and laat voor other forms, while the past tense forms include liet (singular) and lieten (plural). The perfect tense uses gelaten as the past participle, as in de deur is gelaten open.

Etymology: liet derives from the Old Dutch form of laten and shares a Proto-Germanic root with German lassen and English let, reflecting a common Germanic heritage.

See also: laten (Dutch verb), lassen (German verb), let (English verb). This term is primarily of interest in Dutch grammar and lexicography, where it functions as the standard past tense form for the causative verb laten.