verließen

Verlassen is a German verb meaning to leave, depart, or abandon. It is transitive, typically used with a direct object such as a place, a person, or a thing. The word can also function as an adjective in its participle form meaning deserted or abandoned, as in verlassene Häuser (deserted houses).

Verlassen in the simple past (Präteritum) has forms such as verließ for singular subjects and verließen for plural subjects. In everyday narrative, the form verließen is commonly used with wir or sie, and with the formal address Sie. Example: Wir verließen das Gebäude, als der Alarm ertönte. Sie verließen die Stadt.

The verb also forms the present perfect with haben: Ich habe das Haus verlassen. Here the past participle is verlassen, which remains unchanged when used with haben. This compound tense is the standard way to express a completed leaving in spoken and written German.

Verlassen can be used in various contexts: leaving a location (eine Wohnung verlassen), abandoning someone or something (jemanden verlassen), or ceasing to be involved (eine Gemeinschaft verlassen). It contrasts with related verbs that emphasize staying or continuing, such as bleiben or fortfahren.

Etymologically, ver- is a common German prefix that, together with lassen, yields meanings related to departing or relinquishing. The core meaning of verlassen centers on the act of leaving something behind, whether physically, emotionally, or symbolically.

See also: lassen, bleiben, fortsetzen.