[General] What is the origin of "let us"?

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jkuosmane

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Hi, I read this forum and found out that "let's" equals "let us". So, what is the origin of "let us"? From who I'm asking permission if I say "let's go"? I'm not native and that's why I don't get it.
 

SlickVic9000

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Whenever we say,"Let's ***," we aren't asking permission. We treat it like an imperative, though maybe it had a different meaning a few centuries ago.
 

jkuosmane

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My question was a bit misleading, sorry about that! I'm wondering what is the origin or was the meaning of that few or more than few centuries ago :) It's so funny.
 

bhaisahab

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My question was a bit misleading, sorry about that! I'm wondering what is the origin or was the meaning of that few or more than few centuries ago :) It's so funny.

The literal meaning of "let us" is "allow/permit us".
 
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