The translation of “Let’s” is a big and common mistake in French. And while it’s okay to make mistakes, because it means you’re trying, I’m here to help you get better at speaking and understanding everyday French — bit by bit. So, today, we’ll look at the right way to say “let’s” in French.
You might know to use the imperative tense. You might also know that “Let” in French is “Laisser.” So, when you put those two pieces of information together, “Let’s” should be something like “Laissons”… right?
Well, no, sorry. It’s a common mistake!
Today, we’ll learn the real rules for using “Let’s” in French, and some important exceptions you should be aware of. Spoiler: it’s not always the imperative 🙂
Bonjour I’m Géraldine, your French teacher.
Welcome to Comme une Française.
Today, like every Tuesday, I’ll help you get better at speaking and understanding everyday French.
C’est parti !
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1) “Let’s” in French: The imperative for “We”
Let’s in English → gives an order or a suggestion for “we” or “us.”
For example: “Let’s dance!”
In English grammar, we use the imperative to make commands, requests and suggestions — so, when we say “let’s” we’re actually using the imperative mood for the first person plural (“we”) and the verb after it (“dance.”)
In French, it’s quite similar: you can translate your suggestion or request using the imperative for “nous” (the French equivalent of “we”) for the verb in question. It uses the same conjugation as the present, but without the pronoun!
Learn more the French imperative tense in this lesson: L’impératif – Give Orders and Advice with the French Imperative
As you can see, we DON’T need to translate the “Let’s” part of the verb in French: we actually don’t use “Laissons” for the imperative with “Nous”. Instead, we conjugate the more important action verb.
Now, it’s not a bad mistake. You’re only trying to apply what you already know to a new situation. It’s a great mindset to have!
If you did say “Laissons”, many French people would understand what you mean anyway. It’s OK to make mistakes… and it’s better than not trying anything ever. But, I want to help you make better and more interesting mistakes! 😉
So that’s it. That’s the rule! …But of course there are exceptions. This is French grammar, after all.
2) Exceptions: Verbs
The first exception to the rule is, of course, if you do want to say “Laissons.”
It’s the imperative for “to let / to leave (something or someone).”
3) “Let’s not” : negative imperative (with expressions)
“Let’s not…” is the imperative in the negative.
In French, we add “ne… pas” around a verb to turn it to the negative.
Dansons ! → Ne dansons pas !
Let’s dance! → Let’s not dance!
To make it more informal, you can:
Drop the “ne” → Dansons pas.
Use “Évitons de…” (= Let’s avoid…) → Évitons de danser. (= Let’s avoid dancing / Let’s not dance.)
But these alternatives still use “Nous,” which can’t help being formal.
If you want to be less formal, you can also use a roundabout expression, the informal “On” (which, sadly, doesn’t have an imperative), or even the informal “Tu.”
Pas la peine de danser. = It’s not worth it to dance.
Danse pas. = Don’t dance.
Et si on dansait ? = What if we danced?
Allez, on danse. = Come on, let’s dance.
→ “On” + verb in the present is a good, general way to translate an informal “Let’s”
4) “Let’s go” : French expressions
For “Let’s go!” specifically, in French you can use:
- Allons-y !
- On y va !
- C’est parti !
It’s a good way to cheer someone on or encourage your group. These three expressions can also generally be used for “Let’s do it!”
5) “Let’s” on its own, in French: “Oui!”
Finally, sometimes “Let’s” on its own is an answer. For example:
– We could go dancing.
For that situation, you can use the French:
- Oui, super !
- Bonne idée ! (= Good idea!)
- Ça marche ! (= It’s working / Works for me / I agree with that plan!)
- Faisons comme ça ! (= Let’s do it this way then!)
- A previous expression for “Let’s go.”
– Et si on allait dîner ?
– Oui, super !
– What if we had dinner?
Your turn now:
Can you come up with an English sentence that uses “Let’s…”, and a possible French translation? Write it down in the comments!
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Allez, salut 🙂