Lass mich sehen.

Sentence Discussions German
#1
English Translation

Let me have a look at it.

So many German sentences require an “es” to indicate the implied object. In English, So, why isn’t it here? Also, one often says “Let me see” to mean, “I’ll think about it” (and leave me alone while I do; often said by parents to put of children’s difficult requests). Could the Cloze sentence also be used in this second sense?

#2

Yes. I even think it can be used only in that second sense.

The English sentence “Let me have a look at it.” has two meanings:

  • “Let me see the thing you’re hiding from me”
  • “Don’t disturb me while I think about it.”

In English, a single sentence covers both meanings. In German, each meaning has its own sentence.

  • The first meaning, which requires “es”: “Lass es mich sehen.”
  • The second meaning, without “es”: “Lass mich sehen.” (“Let me see”; compare with “I see …” when you understand.)

I think you could say “Lass mich sehen” also in such a situation:

The child hurts/injures itself and fights the parent because it hurts when the parent examines the wound. It has the meaning of “Hold still.”