German Phrase
Lass uns einen Einkaufswagen holen.
Meaning
‘Let’s get a shopping cart.’ The sentence is a friendly, informal suggestion to fetch a cart before shopping. It uses the imperative to propose a joint action.
When to use
Use this phrase when you and a companion are about to enter a supermarket, grocery store, or any place that provides carts. It works in casual conversation among friends, family, or colleagues.
✦Grammar Breakdown
LassunseinenEinkaufswagenholen
Lass (imperative)
‘Lass’ is the imperative form of ‘lassen’ used with ‘du’. It introduces a suggestion or invitation.
uns (reflexive pronoun)
‘uns’ is the accusative reflexive pronoun meaning ‘ourselves’; it is the object of ‘lassen’.
einen (accusative masculine)
‘einen’ is the indefinite article in the accusative case, matching the masculine noun ‘Einkaufswagen’.
Einkaufswagen (noun)
A compound noun (Einkauf + Wagen) meaning ‘shopping cart’; masculine, singular.
holen (infinitive)
The infinitive verb ‘holen’ follows ‘lassen’ to express the action that should be performed.
🗨In Conversation
Lass uns einen Einkaufswagen holen.
Let's get a shopping cart.
Gute Idee, dann können wir alles tragen.
Good idea, then we can carry everything.
✕Common Mistakes
Lassen wir einen Einkaufswagen holen.
‘Lassen wir …’ is the first‑person plural imperative, which sounds formal and is rarely used for casual suggestions.
Lass uns einen Einkaufswagen holt.
The verb must stay in infinitive form ‘holen’; ‘holt’ is a conjugated form that does not fit after ‘lassen’.
Könnten wir einen Einkaufswagen holen?
If you want to be more polite, you can use ‘Könnten wir …’ instead of the direct imperative.
↔Alternatives
Wir holen uns einen Einkaufswagen.
We’ll get a shopping cart.
Schnappen wir uns einen Einkaufswagen.
Let's grab a shopping cart.
Nehmen wir einen Einkaufswagen.
Let's take a shopping cart.
Cultural Tip
In most German supermarkets you take a cart from the entrance and return it at the exit. Some stores require a small coin (often €1) to unlock the cart; you get the coin back when you return it. Using ‘Lass uns …’ is perfectly natural in informal settings, but in a more formal context you might say ‘Wollen wir einen Einkaufswagen holen?’