Phrasal verbs · Free lesson
Let someone down: when people count on you
You promised to bring everyone’s tickets. At the entrance, you realize you left them at home. Your friends were counting on you.
Professor Scott MendozaMeaning in this lesson
let someone down
Disappoint someone by not doing what they expected or relied on you to do.
Example
“I promised to bring the tickets, but I forgot. I let my friends down.”
My friends relied on me, and I failed to do what I promised.
The short answer
Say “I let them down,” not “I let down them.” Let is also the past form. The phrase describes disappointment, not necessarily deliberate harm.
An expectation was not met.
The person who disappoints is the subject; the disappointed person is the object. A noun can go in either position: let the team down or let down the team. A pronoun goes in the middle: let us down. Do not add -ed to let in the past.
Compare the examples
I let my friends down.
I let them down.
I let them down by forgetting the tickets.
A disappointing result does not prove someone acted on purpose. You can let someone down through a mistake.
Build the meaning step by step
Say who failed to help
I let ...
Put the object inside
... them down.
Try it now
Match the expectation
Read all answers and explanations
Complete: Yesterday, I ___ my friends down by forgetting the tickets.
letThe past form is let, not letted.
Which sentence fits a promise you failed to keep?
I let my friends down.Let down expresses their disappointment in the failed promise. It is not physical lowering; keeping every promise contradicts the situation.
Choose the correct pronoun order.
She let us down.Us goes between let and down.
Build it yourself
Describe the missed promise
Your friends relied on you, but you failed them. Use all four pieces, starting with I.
Put them before down. Select a piece again to move it back.
Your sentence
0 of 4 piecesYour chosen pieces will appear here.
See a model answer
I let them down.
I let them down names the speaker as the person who disappointed the friends.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Does it mean I did it deliberately?
No. The phrase focuses on the failed expectation and disappointment. Explain the cause separately if it matters.
I let you down because I misunderstood the date.
What is the past form of let someone down?
Let stays let in the past. The surrounding sentence or context supplies the time; do not change it to letted.
I’m sorry I let you down.
Take it into your day
Let them down: disappoint them by failing to meet an expectation.
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