I am new to German and came across the phrase:
"Darauf würde ich mich nicht verlassen"
I wouldn't count on that!
I don't understand why "mich" is used instead of just:
"Darauf würde ich nicht verlassen"
Can you please explain?
I am new to German and came across the phrase:
"Darauf würde ich mich nicht verlassen"
I wouldn't count on that!
I don't understand why "mich" is used instead of just:
"Darauf würde ich nicht verlassen"
Can you please explain?
Verlassen is a reflexive verb, see DWDS, so the person has an active and a passive role in the interaction. (Without reflexive pronoun, the meaning is a different one, corresponding to abandon.)
There are other reflexive verbs like sich {die Hände} waschen (see corresponding question), where the separation between the acting role and the receiving role is more obvious.
English has only pseudo reflexive verbs, i.e. verbs, that can be used reflexive:
Eric introduces himself to the class.
Carol washes herself.
John accidentally cut himself with a knife.
Laura taught herself how to beak bread.
But you can use all these verbs transitive too:
Eric introduces his father to the class.
Carol washes the car.
John accidentally cut the table with a knife.
Laura taught Simon how to beak bread.
German has this kind of verbs too, but German has in addition verbs, that always must be used together with a reflexive pronoun. Omitting the reflexive pronoun would be wrong:
Lisa freut sich.
Lisa is happy.
Jürgen bedankt sich für die Hilfe.
Jürgen thanks for the help.
Barbara ruht sich aus.
Barbara takes a rest.
Lisa fürchtet sich vor Spinnen.
Lisa is afraid of spiders.
etc.
And »sich auf etwas verlassen« is such a reflexive verb:
correct: Ich verlasse mich auf dich.
I'm counting on you.
wrong:Ich verlasse auf dich.
But »verlassen« has a homonym with a very different meaning which is not reflexive, so don't mix them up:
Ich verlasse dich.
I leave you.
Consider this
I will rid myself of the burden.
It would not make sense without the reflexive myself.
Similarly, German has verbs like rid (to rid oneself) that are reflexive. They‘re listed in the dictionary as sich + verb, for example sich verlassen.
Another indicator of reflexitivity is each other.
We kissed each other.
or the common (dare I say, infamous) mistake by German speakers:
We‘ll see each other. (!We‘ll see us from German: Wir sehen uns.)
So by analogy,
"Darauf würde ich mich nicht verlassen"
sounds weird without the mich in there like removing myself from rid myself.