nachlassen

Nachlassen is a German verb meaning to decrease, subside, or abate. It describes a reduction in intensity, force, or frequency of a phenomenon, such as wind, noise, or pressure, and is commonly used in medical contexts to refer to the subsidence of symptoms or pain. The noun das Nachlassen denotes the process of decline or abatement.

Grammatical notes: Nachlassen is a separable-prefix verb. In the present tense, the prefix nach- is separated: Die Wellen lassen nach. In the simple past it becomes Die Wellen ließen nach. The perfect tense uses the auxiliary haben with the past participle nachgelassen: Die Beschwerden haben nachgelassen.

Usage and examples: In everyday language, one can say that something “lässt nach” to indicate it is diminishing. Examples include: Der Lärm ließ nach. (The noise subsided.) Der Druck ließ nach. (The pressure decreased.) In medical contexts: Die Symptome lassen nach. (The symptoms are subsiding.)

Related terms and nuances: Nachlassen is often contrasted with synonyms such as abklingen, abnehmen, sich verringern, or abschwächen, all of which describe a decline but with varying nuances. While nachlassen emphasizes a stepwise decrease in intensity, abklingen highlights a gradual fading, and sich verringern simply denotes a reduction in amount or degree.

See also: Abklingen, Abnehmen, Abschwächen, Verringern. External references on German phrasal verbs and medical terminology provide additional examples of usage in different contexts.