"Je dois y aller maintenant, je te laisse."
Translation:I have to go now; I'm letting you go.
62 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
Je te laisse isn't the action of letting someone go, but it is the action of yourself leaving. Therefore "I leave you" or "I'm leaving" should be accepted too
In a phone conversation this makes sense. I've got to hang up now, i'll let you go now...
what I'm seeing a lot in the newest French/English tree is a very common mistake that native French speakers use, which is to use the present continuous tense incorrectly. Normally in English we would say "i'll let you go", not "I'm letting you go".
192
I've never heard of that expression. It sounds as though someone is being held prisoner!
- 128
Yes, the natural expression when trying to end a phone conversation would be 'I'll let you go' -- which interestingly is in the future tense unlike the French. Another example where French uses the present tense in a way that sounds slightly brusque and abrupt to our ears, so we soften it by implying it's not yet happening, even if it will within a few seconds.
- 1332
There is no mistake. In both languages, it's very common to use the present tense to express a planned future action, as long as the intention is clear.
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I'm going to the store tonight.
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Je vais au magasin ce soir.
- 1010
That expression is commonly used as a means of getting off the telephone, at least where I live in the U.S.
- 192
I wonder which part of the country you live in? I'm originally from New York but have had phone conversations with people from many places and have never come across it.
- 1589
I'm not sure how old you are, but any native English speaker in New York City will know what that means. The saying has been around for many decades.
- 192
I grew up in NYC in the 40s and 50s. Maybe the expression appeared after I moved away. I have certainly not heard it in New Jersey, where I live now.
It's very common in Canada. You hear on it on TV telephone/Zoom interviews all the time when the host wants to end the call. "I have to let you go now, we have breaking news".
- 1010
That really surprises me! I live in Minnesota. Of course, we are known for being “Minnesota nice,” ie. passive agressive, or not really saying what we mean.
Well, bless your heart!
(I lived in South Carolina for about a decade, and that one phrase can mean anything from "there there, it'll be alright" to "you poor pathetic thing" to "I wouldn't even spit on you if you were on fire to put it out"--the sweeter your tone, the meaner the meaning...)
- 1054
I had the same question - I translated it as "I have to go there..." which was accepted but has a different meaning.
- 732
I am curious too; but I guess since this sentence appears in a (phone) conversation , presumably they both know what that certain place is. "y" means "a + some place", follows "aller" ... Waiting for someone knowledgeable to clarify ...
- 1332
You are always required to state a location when you say aller. The pronoun y replaces the noun for the location. In this case, the location is unspecified.
The y isn't always translated because English doesn't require a location after "go".
I recall learning that using "y" (there) and "en" (of them as in some "of them") are necessary in French but silent in English translation. For example, J'en ai deux. I have two [of them — is implied in English, though not explicitly stated]. The same with "y" — j'y vais - in English, "I'm going [there — is implied though not explicitly stated in the English translation.
- 802
I've read somewhere Sitesurf's comment that the exception is when "aller" is in the future tense: J'irai (sans "y")
- 2378
Another awkward English sentence with the double use of "go" and probably wrong tense for English. How about, "I have to hang up now, I'll let you go."? The present tense at the end doesn't really work.
- 2111
As others have said the English sentence is poor. If this is a phone conversation we would say 'I will let you go'. But the Duo sentence sounds like a police officer has just pulled someone over for a traffic offence, but gets called away so tells the driver 'I'm letting you go'.
- 192
Yes, the expression can be used that way. Also when parent gives permission -- I'm letting you go to the dance, provided you're home by midnight.
- 1332
Now you know a different use of the idiom. Maybe you haven't heard it in your region, but it's commonly used in Duo's homeland.
The problem is, these sentence discussions are effectively forum topics on their respective langauge subforum.
Ordinarily, when people downvote a topic, that indicates that people don't like it, so the site hides it to improve everyone's browsing experience.
Unfortunately, it does the same thing for sentences--so while it may seem logical to downvote bad sentences, it only makes them harder for course-builders to find (and fix!)
- 1453
Yes, downvotes on the sentences actually make it worse. There is no reason why there should even be a downvote button there.
- 704
I have to go now, I'm leaving. OR, I must go now, I'd better be off. Duo please have your English translations proofread by someone who speaks and writes English properly so we can have some semblance of a polished product. Just a suggestion! Perfect practice makes perfect.
"I'm letting you go" is not common usage in English in this context and sounds just plain wrong for all the reasons given in this thread. I guess it is just another thing English speakers just have to learn - a bit like the French translation of "I'm missing you" being "tu me manques "which, as a literal translation, just does not make sense to an English speaker. However Duo should realise this and make the proper English translations acceptable.
- 383
This is a car crash of a translation. It might make sense in French but It's just not something one would say in English. "I have to go now' is enough to indicate in a phone conversation that it's time to hang-up.
- 1228
I have some difficulties to understand but ;
I am letting you go = je te laisse partir ( mais, et, . . . )
I let you = je te laisse ( croire, voir, réfléchir, . . . )
I am wrong ?
- 1332
I don't know about the French, but "let" basically means "allow". I'm letting you go => I'm allowing you to go. Its a polite way of saying " I'm hanging up on your ass. "
I think it's similar in French. Let, leave, and laisser seem to be confusing to native speakers of both French and English.
- 1228
what's the meaning of the expression " I'm hanging up on your ass. " ?
for me the french expression " je te laisse " is a polite phrase meaning in french
" je dois / y aller/ partir / te quitter maintenant "
in english " I have to go now ( because ) or maybe the expression " I got to go " or " I am leaving you ( with ) "
I am not sure
English often uses "ass" as a vulgar form of synecdoche to refer to a person's whole self. For example, "whoop someone's ass" probably includes hitting other parts as well, but sounds more intense than simply "whooping" someone.
"Hanging up on someone's ass" would just be a harsh way to say "to hang up the phone on somebody."
- 1453
Just to be clear, "ass" is only used in this way in American English. In other countries it is just another word for a donkey (sometimes used to describe a stupid person).
- 192
In defense of my country, neither I nor anyone I've ever met would use such expressions.
- 490
I wouldn’t recommend learning that kind of vulgar expression; you might find to your embarrassment that you’d used it where it wasn’t acceptable. It depends on your age and your social environment. I have never had it said to me, and don’t expect to.
- 907
What does it mean "I'm letting you go." is the other person tied up or locked into a room?
I think the sense is "I'll let you go now." I use it frequently in telephone conversations. It's a social convention to end a conversation without awkwardness.
- 1453
Aller can't exist on its own in French, there must be a place to "go". In English we say "I must go" but in the French the location "there" = "y" is used. "Je dois y aller"= "I must go there".
- 1228
in french, it must be understood in this context as a form of politeness for your interlocutor, in order to express that you must stop this chat ( on the phone ) .
the " y " for this french expression, it means the real or imagined place where you want to ( be or go )
to put it simply, that means that you are in hurry and can't continue this chat
- 1166
Why is it necessary to have the "y" in this sentence? With the presence (in this sentence of "y"), shouldn't the translation be, "I have to go there now..."?
- 1204
We don't say that in English- I am letting you go- UNLESS you are firing someone from their job.
In English we would say "I have to go now, I'm leaving." That translation in awkward.