låter

Låter is the present tense form of the Swedish verb låta. It has two main senses in contemporary Swedish, with different constructions and nuances.

The first sense is to let or allow someone to do something or to cause something to happen. In this use, låta is a causative verb and is typically followed by another clause in the infinitive, or by a direct object and an infinitive. Examples: Jag låter honom gå. (I let him go.) Vi låter barnen bestämma ibland. (We let the children decide sometimes.) The phrase låta bli means to refrain from doing something, as in Jag låter bli att säga något. (I refrain from saying anything.) In imperative form, the verb appears as Låt när man gives a short instruction or permission, for example Låt honom vara. (Let him be.)

The second sense is to sound or seem, especially about an impression or auditory perception. In this sense, låter translates roughly as “sounds.” It is used with adjectives or clauses to express perception or opinion about how something appears. Examples: Det låter bra. (That sounds good.) Det låter som om något är fel. (It sounds as if something is wrong.) The construction can also introduce a subordinate clause with som eller som om: Det låter som om allt är fridfullt.

Conjugation and related forms: låter is the present tense for jag, du, han/hon/den/det, vi, ni, de. The past tense is lät, the supine is låtit, and the perfect form is har låtit. The verb låta is irregular and has a faintly causative or permissive quality that governs its various uses.

Etymology traces låta to Old Norse and shares roots with related Scandinavian verbs meaning “to allow” or “to cause.” In modern Swedish, its meaning depends on context, ranging from permission to perception. See also låt (noun), låta bli, and låta någon göra något for related phrases.