FormVerb (Position 1) + wir + Rest, or Lass uns + Infinitiv
Meaning and usage
This pattern means let's do something. You put the verb first, then wir, then the rest: Gehen wir! or Machen wir eine Pause!. The verb has the same form as the normal present tense for wir, so gehen and machen stay as they are. With sein you say Seien wir!, not Sind wir!.
A second, very common way is Lass uns plus the infinitive: Lass uns gehen! For several people you can also say Lasst uns gehen! Both mean the same as Gehen wir! Use this pattern to suggest something to a group you are part of. Do not add wir twice, and keep the verb in first position.
Examples 5
Gehen wir!
Let's go!
Gehen wir! Ich will dir etwas zeigen.
Let's go. I want to show you something.
Lass uns bei einem Gläschen darüber reden!
Let's talk about that over drinks.
Bleiben wir zusammen! So ist es sicherer.
Let's stay together. It'll be safer that way.
Setzen wir uns an den Tisch dort!
Let's move over to that table.
Test yourself
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1 Sprachbausteine
wir ins Kino!
Show answer
Correct answer: Gehen
Gehen wir ins Kino! means let's go to the cinema. The verb comes first and keeps the wir form gehen.
- Gingen is the past form and does not fit a present suggestion.
- Geh is the du form and addresses one person.
- Geht is the ihr form, so it speaks to other people, not to a group including yourself.
In this topic: Imperative
- Komm! Mach das! du command: verb stem, no du, no -st
- Kommt! Macht das! Command to a group you address as ihr
- Kommen Sie! Formal command: verb first, then Sie
- Nimm! Lies! Fahr! du-command with e→i or e→ie vowel change
- Sei! Seid! Seien Sie! Commands with sein: be
- bitte, mal, doch Softens a command: please, a moment, why not
- Gehen wir! Let's do something together
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. See sources.