English speakers learning French quickly run into a small disaster: the single English verb to leave is spread across at least four French verbs — sortir (go out, exit), partir (depart, set off), quitter (leave a person or place, always transitive), and laisser (leave something behind). They are not interchangeable. Saying je sors mon emploi instead of je quitte mon emploi is not a small accent slip — it sounds like a malfunctioning translation app.
This page focuses on the three motion verbs of leaving: sortir, partir, quitter. It drills their distinct meanings, their conjugations, and — crucially — the auxiliary problem in compound tenses, where two of these verbs flip between être and avoir depending on whether they're used transitively or intransitively. Master this trio and you will sound much more native every time you describe leaving anything.
The core distinction in one sentence
Sortir = to go out, to exit (intransitively). Partir = to depart, to set off (intransitively). Quitter = to leave a specific place or person (always transitively). The first two are about the act of going; the third is about what you are leaving behind.
| Verb | Core meaning | Typical complement | Auxiliary |
|---|---|---|---|
| sortir | go out, exit (a place) | de + place ("come out of"), or alone | être (intransitive), avoir (transitive) |
| partir | leave, depart, set off | de + place, pour + destination, or alone | être (always) |
| quitter | leave (someone, somewhere, something) | direct object — always | avoir (always — it's transitive) |
That auxiliary column is where most of the trouble lives. Read the rest of this page with it in mind.
Sortir: going out, exiting
Sortir means to go out — to physically leave the inside of a place, to exit. It is intransitive in its core meaning and takes être in compound tenses. Its conjugation belongs to the small set of irregular -ir verbs that do not use the -iss- infix (sometimes called the partir-sortir-dormir family).
Conjugation
| Person | Présent | Imparfait | Futur | Subjonctif |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | sors | sortais | sortirai | sorte |
| tu | sors | sortais | sortiras | sortes |
| il / elle / on | sort | sortait | sortira | sorte |
| nous | sortons | sortions | sortirons | sortions |
| vous | sortez | sortiez | sortirez | sortiez |
| ils / elles | sortent | sortaient | sortiront | sortent |
Past participle: sorti, agreeing with the subject in être-auxiliary uses (sortie, sortis, sorties).
The pattern: a strong stem sor- in the singular (sors, sors, sort) and a weak stem sort- with the consonant t restored in the plural (sortons, sortez, sortent). This is identical to partir (pars, pars, part — partons, partez, partent) and dormir (dors, dors, dort — dormons, dormez, dorment). Memorize the pattern once and you have all three.
Sortir: physical exit
The neutral, literal meaning. Sortir de + place = to come out of / to exit.
Je sors de la maison à huit heures tous les matins.
I leave the house at eight o'clock every morning.
Le chat est sorti par la fenêtre, encore une fois.
The cat went out through the window — again.
Sors d'ici tout de suite, je ne veux plus te voir !
Get out of here right now — I don't want to see you anymore!
Quand est-ce qu'on sort du bureau aujourd'hui ?
When do we get out of the office today?
The de preposition is essential when you name what you're exiting. Bare je sors (without de + place) means I'm going out in the sense of leaving the house, often for an evening — see the next section.
Sortir: going out (socially)
Bare sortir, with no complement, picks up a heavily used social meaning: going out in the evening, having a night out, doing something fun.
On sort ce soir ? Il y a un bon film au Rex.
Are we going out tonight? There's a good film at the Rex.
Je ne sors pas pendant la semaine, je suis trop fatigué.
I don't go out during the week — I'm too tired.
Les jeunes sortent beaucoup le samedi soir.
Young people go out a lot on Saturday nights.
This is the same kind of social go out you have in English (let's go out tonight).
Sortir avec quelqu'un: dating
Sortir avec = to date / be going out with someone. Identical idiom to English. (informal)
Tu sais que Léa sort avec Tom depuis trois mois ?
Did you know Léa has been going out with Tom for three months?
On sort ensemble depuis l'été dernier.
We've been dating since last summer.
This is the standard, register-neutral way to describe a dating relationship in informal speech. Slightly more formal: fréquenter quelqu'un.
The transitive use: sortir + direct object
Here is the auxiliary trap. Sortir also has a transitive meaning: to take out / bring out (something). When used this way, the verb takes a direct object — and the auxiliary in compound tenses switches to avoir. The past participle does not agree with the subject (because it's not an être-verb anymore); it follows the regular avoir rule of agreeing only with a preceding direct object.
J'ai sorti la poubelle ce matin.
I took out the trash this morning. (transitive — auxiliary: avoir)
Tu peux sortir le chien ? Il a besoin de marcher.
Can you take the dog out? He needs to walk.
Elle a sorti son téléphone et a commencé à filmer.
She took out her phone and started filming.
Compare:
Elle est sortie hier soir.
She went out last night. (intransitive — auxiliary: être, agreement with subject)
Elle a sorti son passeport.
She took out her passport. (transitive — auxiliary: avoir, no agreement with subject)
This être / avoir split based on transitivity also affects monter, descendre, rentrer, retourner, passer. It is one of the most consequential rules in the passé composé — see transitive-switch for the full picture.
Partir: departing, setting off
Partir means to leave / depart / set off — to begin the act of going somewhere. The focus is on the motion of leaving, not on what you exit. It is intransitive and always takes être in compound tenses.
Conjugation
The pattern is identical to sortir — strong stem par- in the singular, weak stem part- in the plural.
| Person | Présent | Imparfait | Futur | Subjonctif |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | pars | partais | partirai | parte |
| tu | pars | partais | partiras | partes |
| il / elle / on | part | partait | partira | parte |
| nous | partons | partions | partirons | partions |
| vous | partez | partiez | partirez | partiez |
| ils / elles | partent | partaient | partiront | partent |
Past participle: parti, agreeing with the subject (partie, partis, parties).
Partir: setting off
Je pars demain matin à six heures.
I'm leaving tomorrow morning at six.
Le train part dans cinq minutes, dépêche-toi !
The train leaves in five minutes — hurry up!
Elle est partie sans dire au revoir.
She left without saying goodbye.
On part en vacances la semaine prochaine.
We're going on vacation next week.
The verb describes the moment of departure or the setting off on a journey. Unlike sortir, partir doesn't necessarily imply going out of a building — it implies going away from a current location, often toward a new one.
Partir de + place / partir pour + destination
Partir de + a place = to leave / depart from somewhere. Partir pour + a place = to leave for / set off for somewhere.
Le vol part de Roissy à dix heures.
The flight leaves from Roissy at ten.
Demain, je pars pour Marseille.
Tomorrow, I'm leaving for Marseille.
Elle est partie de chez ses parents à dix-huit ans.
She left her parents' house at eighteen.
On part en Italie en juillet.
We're leaving for Italy in July. (en + country)
The preposition after partir depends on what you mean: de for the origin, pour for the destination, en for a country (feminine), à for a city. Partir au Japon, partir aux États-Unis, partir à Tokyo.
Sortir vs partir: where the line is
These two verbs are confusable because both are intransitive, both can describe leaving, and both take être in compound tenses (in their intransitive uses). The split is conceptual:
- Sortir focuses on exiting an enclosed space — going from inside to outside. It strongly implies a de-phrase (de la maison, du bureau, de la salle) or the social going out meaning.
- Partir focuses on the motion of departure — setting off, beginning a journey. The destination matters more than what you exit.
Je sors du bureau à dix-huit heures.
I leave the office at six. (focus on exiting the building)
Je pars du bureau à dix-huit heures.
I leave the office at six. (focus on the moment of departure — possible but rarer in this context)
Le train part à dix-huit heures.
The train leaves at six. (you can't say *le train sort à dix-huit heures*)
Le voleur est sorti par la porte de derrière.
The thief went out through the back door. (you can't say *est parti par la porte de derrière*)
For trains, planes, departures, vacations: partir. For exiting a room, a building, a meeting: sortir.
Quitter: leaving someone or somewhere — transitively
Quitter is the verb you reach for when leave takes a direct object that is a person, place, or institution. It is a regular -er verb. Its essential property is that it is always transitive — it must take a direct object.
Conjugation
Regular -er. Memorize once.
| Person | Présent | Imparfait | Futur | Subjonctif |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | quitte | quittais | quitterai | quitte |
| tu | quittes | quittais | quitteras | quittes |
| il / elle / on | quitte | quittait | quittera | quitte |
| nous | quittons | quittions | quitterons | quittions |
| vous | quittez | quittiez | quitterez | quittiez |
| ils / elles | quittent | quittaient | quitteront | quittent |
Auxiliary in compound tenses: avoir. Past participle: quitté (regular -er). Agreement follows the avoir rule (preceding direct object only).
Quitter + place
Je quitte la salle dès la fin de la réunion.
I'm leaving the room as soon as the meeting ends.
Il a quitté la France en 2019 pour s'installer au Canada.
He left France in 2019 to settle in Canada.
Nous avons quitté l'hôtel à dix heures.
We checked out of the hotel at ten.
Le ministre a quitté la séance avant le vote.
The minister left the session before the vote. (formal)
Notice that quitter takes the place as a direct object — no preposition. This is the structural mark: you cannot say je quitte de la salle (impossible).
Quitter + person
This is where quitter takes on its most charged meaning: to leave a romantic partner.
Il a quitté sa femme après quinze ans de mariage.
He left his wife after fifteen years of marriage.
Elle m'a quitté il y a deux mois, je m'en remets doucement.
She left me two months ago — I'm slowly getting over it.
Tu vas le quitter ou non ?
Are you going to leave him or not?
In the romantic context, quitter is the standard verb. Partir would describe the act of physically leaving (il est parti, he left, he went away); quitter describes the relational rupture.
Quitter + job, school
For institutions and roles — quitting a job, leaving school, leaving a company.
Je quitte mon emploi à la fin du mois, j'en ai marre.
I'm leaving my job at the end of the month — I've had enough.
Elle a quitté l'école à seize ans.
She left school at sixteen.
Le PDG a quitté l'entreprise après le scandale.
The CEO left the company after the scandal.
Note that English speakers might be tempted to translate I'm leaving my job as je pars de mon emploi — that's not how French works. Quitter un emploi is the fixed expression.
The telephone idiom: ne quittez pas
Ne quittez pas is the standard French equivalent of please hold on the telephone. (formal/neutral)
Un instant s'il vous plaît, ne quittez pas.
One moment please — hold the line.
Literally don't leave (the line). Useful set phrase.
The transitive split: sortir, partir, quitter side by side
The cleanest way to feel the contrast is in matched pairs.
Je sors de la maison.
I'm leaving the house. (going out, focus on exiting)
Je quitte la maison.
I'm leaving the house. (transitive — focus on the house being left)
Je pars de la maison à huit heures.
I'm leaving (departing from) the house at eight. (departure focus)
All three are grammatical. The shading differs — sortir foregrounds the act of going out, quitter foregrounds the place left behind, partir de foregrounds the moment of departure on a journey. Native speakers pick automatically based on context.
English 'leave' across four French verbs
For completeness, here is how the four-way split works:
- Sortir (de) — go out, exit a place; or go out socially. Intransitive (or transitive with the take out meaning).
- Partir — depart, set off, leave on a journey. Intransitive.
- Quitter — leave a person, place, or institution. Always transitive.
- Laisser — leave behind, leave alone, let (something or someone stay). Always transitive, but the object stays put — you don't take it with you.
J'ai laissé mes clés dans la voiture.
I left my keys in the car. (left them behind)
Laisse-moi tranquille !
Leave me alone!
For the laisser family, see laisser-permettre.
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Using sortir with a direct object instead of de + place.
❌ Je sors la salle.
Sortir is intransitive in the 'exit a place' meaning. Use de + place.
✅ Je sors de la salle.
I'm leaving the room.
✅ Je quitte la salle.
I'm leaving the room. (transitive alternative — both work)
If you want to attach the place directly without a preposition, use quitter — that's exactly what it's for.
Mistake 2: Using partir with a direct object.
❌ Je pars la France demain.
Partir is intransitive. Either use partir de la France or quitter la France.
✅ Je pars de France demain.
I'm leaving France tomorrow. (focus on departure)
✅ Je quitte la France demain.
I'm leaving France tomorrow. (transitive — focus on what's being left)
The English leave + place construction does not transfer directly. Partir needs de; quitter takes the place as a direct object.
Mistake 3: Wrong auxiliary with the transitive sortir.
❌ Je suis sorti la poubelle ce matin.
When sortir is transitive (with a direct object), the auxiliary is avoir, not être.
✅ J'ai sorti la poubelle ce matin.
I took out the trash this morning.
Same rule for monter, descendre, rentrer, retourner, passer: intransitive → être; transitive → avoir.
Mistake 4: Using quitter without a direct object.
❌ Je quitte à dix heures.
Quitter is always transitive. Bare 'quitter' is ungrammatical except in the fixed phrase 'ne quittez pas'.
✅ Je pars à dix heures. / Je sors à dix heures.
I'm leaving at ten. / I'm going out at ten.
If you don't have a direct object, you don't have quitter. Use partir or sortir.
Mistake 5: Saying laisser when you mean quitter (leaving a person).
❌ Il a laissé sa femme l'année dernière.
Possible but ambiguous — laisser sa femme can mean 'left her behind (somewhere).' For breakups/separation, the standard verb is quitter.
✅ Il a quitté sa femme l'année dernière.
He left his wife last year.
Laisser + person can mean to leave someone behind in a physical sense (je l'ai laissée à la gare — I left her at the station), but for the relational meaning of leaving, quitter is the verb.
Mistake 6: Using sortir avec and assuming it always means dating.
❌ Je sors avec mes parents ce soir. (assuming this means dating)
In context with friends, family, or colleagues, sortir avec just means going out together.
✅ Je sors avec mes parents ce soir.
I'm going out with my parents tonight. (just spending time together — no dating implied)
The dating sense of sortir avec requires a romantic context — usually a peer of compatible age. With parents, friends of the same gender, colleagues, etc., sortir avec simply means going out with.
Mistake 7: Forgetting that transit verbs (planes, trains, buses) take partir.
❌ Le train sort à huit heures.
Trains, planes, and buses don't 'go out' — they 'depart.' Use partir.
✅ Le train part à huit heures.
The train leaves at eight.
For scheduled departures, partir is the verb every time.
Key takeaways
Sortir = go out, exit, leave the inside of a place; intransitive (être) or, with a direct object, take out (avoir). Partir = depart, set off, leave on a journey; always intransitive, always être. Quitter = leave (a place, person, job); always transitive, always avoir.
The auxiliary trap is the killer point: sortir alternates between être (intransitive) and avoir (transitive). Partir is locked to être. Quitter is locked to avoir. Whenever you write a passé composé with one of these verbs, ask: is there a direct object? That answer settles the auxiliary.
The four-way English-to-French split (sortir, partir, quitter, laisser) is one of the things that makes A2 French feel suddenly precise. English collapses these into leave and lets context do the work; French makes the speaker pick. With practice, the picking becomes automatic — and your French will sound dramatically more native.
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