Both translate "dejar" in Spanish but are completely different: "let" = to allow; "leave" = to leave somewhere / abandon.
To allow, to give permission for something to happen. Structure: let + object + bare infinitive.
Let me help you with those bags. They look heavy.
Dejame ayudarte con esas bolsas. Se ven pesadas.
Her parents let her stay out until midnight on weekends.
Sus padres le permiten quedarse fuera hasta la medianoche los fines de semana.
Let the dough rest for thirty minutes before baking.
Deja reposar la masa durante treinta minutos antes de hornear.
To depart from a place. Or: to leave something/someone in a place. Or: to abandon.
She leaves for work at seven every morning.
Ella sale para el trabajo a las siete cada manana.
He left his wallet on the kitchen counter again.
El dejo su billetera en el mostrador de la cocina otra vez.
Please do not leave me alone here. I am afraid.
Por favor no me dejes solo aqui. Tengo miedo.
Common mistake
The confusion comes from Spanish "dejar" covering both meanings. "Dejame hacerlo" = "Let me do it" (permission). "Dejalo ahi" = "Leave it there" (to leave somewhere). "Dejame ir" = "Let me go" (permission to go) OR "Leave me alone" (stop bothering me). The most common error: "Leave me do it" does not exist — always "Let me do it". And "Let your keys on the table" does not exist either — always "Leave your keys on the table".
Trick to remember it
Substitution test: can you replace "dejar" with "to permit"? "Let". Can you replace it with "to depart" or "to leave something in a place"? "Leave". "Dejame ir" can be "let me go" (permit me to leave) or "leave me alone" (stop bothering me) — two contexts, two translations. Key "let" structure: always followed by object + bare infinitive: "let me go" / "let them come" / "let it be".
Quick rule
Let + person + bare infinitive = allow someone to do something. Leave = depart or leave something/someone in a place.
Did you know?
"Let It Be" is the most famous Beatles song using "let" in the sense of allowing things to be. "Let it be" = allow it to be / do not fight it. The phrase has deep philosophical connotations in English: accepting what you cannot control. "Let go" (release, stop holding on) has the same flavor: do not resist, allow it to happen.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ her dog outside while she went to the store. She was only gone for ten minutes.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
_____ me explain what happened. It is not what it looks like.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Let + person + bare infinitive = allow someone to do something. Leave = depart or leave something/someone in a place.
The confusion comes from Spanish "dejar" covering both meanings. "Dejame hacerlo" = "Let me do it" (permission). "Dejalo ahi" = "Leave it there" (to leave somewhere). "Dejame ir" = "Let me go" (permission to go) OR "Leave me alone" (stop bothering me). The most common error: "Leave me do it" does not exist — always "Let me do it". And "Let your keys on the table" does not exist either — always "Leave your keys on the table".
Substitution test: can you replace "dejar" with "to permit"? "Let". Can you replace it with "to depart" or "to leave something in a place"? "Leave". "Dejame ir" can be "let me go" (permit me to leave) or "leave me alone" (stop bothering me) — two contexts, two translations. Key "let" structure: always followed by object + bare infinitive: "let me go" / "let them come" / "let it be".
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy