Partir is the cleanest -ir verb in the language — it has no stem changes, no spelling tricks, and no irregular participle. For that reason it is the perfect template for the entire third conjugation: learn partir and you can conjugate hundreds of regular -ir verbs (decidir, dividir, assistir, garantir) by swapping the stem. It carries two main meanings, to leave / depart and to break / split, plus it anchors the very common phrase a partir de (starting from).
Conjugation tables — the model -ir verb
Compare these endings to the table on the -ir verbs page; partir matches them exactly with zero exceptions.
Indicative
| Pronoun | Presente | Pretérito perfeito | Pretérito imperfeito | Futuro do presente | Futuro do pretérito |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eu | parto | parti | partia | partirei | partiria |
| tu/você | parte | partiu | partia | partirá | partiria |
| ele/ela | parte | partiu | partia | partirá | partiria |
| nós | partimos | partimos | partíamos | partiremos | partiríamos |
| vocês | partem | partiram | partiam | partirão | partiriam |
| eles/elas | partem | partiram | partiam | partirão | partiriam |
Note the giveaway -ir signatures: the 1sg present in -o (parto), the nós present and preterite are identical (partimos / partimos, told apart only by context), and the 3sg preterite in -iu (partiu), which is unique to -ir and never happens in -ar or -er.
Subjunctive
| Pronoun | Presente do subjuntivo | Imperfeito do subjuntivo | Futuro do subjuntivo |
|---|---|---|---|
| eu | parta | partisse | partir |
| tu/você | parta | partisses / partisse | partires / partir |
| ele/ela | parta | partisse | partir |
| nós | partamos | partíssemos | partirmos |
| vocês | partam | partissem | partirem |
| eles/elas | partam | partissem | partirem |
The present subjunctive of -ir verbs takes -a endings (parta), built off the 1sg present stem (part-), exactly as the present subjunctive -er/-ir page describes.
Imperative, non-finite
| Pronoun | Imperativo afirmativo | Imperativo negativo |
|---|---|---|
| você | parta | não parta |
| nós | partamos | não partamos |
| vocês | partam | não partam |
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Infinitivo impessoal | partir |
| Infinitivo pessoal | partir / partir / partir / partirmos / partirem / partirem |
| Gerúndio | partindo |
| Particípio | partido |
Meaning 1: to leave / to depart
This is the "departure" sense — setting off on a journey. It is correct and common, but register matters: partir in this sense is somewhat formal/literary in Brazil. In everyday speech Brazilians overwhelmingly prefer sair (to leave a place), ir embora (to go away), or viajar (to travel) for trips.
O trem parte às nove em ponto, então não se atrase.
The train departs at nine sharp, so don't be late.
Eles partiram para a Europa na semana passada.
They left for Europe last week.
(formal) O navegador partiu rumo ao desconhecido.
The navigator set off toward the unknown.
For the everyday alternative, compare with sair:
Já vou embora, tá ficando tarde.
I'm leaving now, it's getting late.
So while "Eu parto amanhã" is grammatically perfect, a Brazilian friend would more likely say "Eu viajo amanhã" or "Vou embora amanhã" in casual conversation. Save partir-as-departure for timetables, announcements, and elevated prose.
Meaning 2: to break / to split
The other core meaning is physical: to break something into pieces or split it apart. This is fully everyday and not formal at all.
Parti o pão ao meio e dei uma metade pra ela.
I broke the bread in half and gave one half to her.
Cuidado, você vai partir o copo!
Careful, you're going to break the glass!
O galho partiu com o peso da neve.
The branch snapped under the weight of the snow.
There is also the figurative partir o coração (to break someone's heart), which is idiomatic and common.
Aquela despedida partiu meu coração.
That goodbye broke my heart.
Note that for "break" in the sense of shatter/spoil/malfunction, BR more often uses quebrar (quebrei o celular — I broke my phone). Partir leans toward breaking something into pieces or along a line (bread, a stick, a heart).
The phrase: a partir de
By far the most frequent thing you will do with this verb is not conjugate it — it is the fixed prepositional phrase a partir de, meaning starting from / as of / based on. It is used constantly in BR, in both speech and writing.
A partir de segunda, o horário de funcionamento muda.
Starting Monday, the opening hours change.
A partir de agora, vou acordar mais cedo.
From now on, I'm going to wake up earlier.
A história foi escrita a partir de fatos reais.
The story was written based on real facts.
Common Mistakes
❌ Eu parti de casa às oito (casual conversation).
Grammatically fine but unnaturally formal — Brazilians say 'saí de casa'.
✅ Eu saí de casa às oito.
I left the house at eight.
❌ Desde amanhã, o preço aumenta.
Incorrect — 'desde' looks backward; for a future start point use 'a partir de'.
✅ A partir de amanhã, o preço aumenta.
Starting tomorrow, the price goes up.
❌ Eu parto o copo sem querer ontem.
Wrong tense — 'parto' is present; the past 1sg is 'parti'.
✅ Parti o copo sem querer ontem.
I broke the glass by accident yesterday.
❌ Ele parteu para o trabalho.
Incorrect — the 3sg preterite of -ir verbs ends in -iu: partiu.
✅ Ele partiu para o trabalho.
He left for work.
Key Takeaways
- partir is the model fully regular -ir verb — no stem or spelling changes.
- Watch the -ir signatures: 1sg parto, identical partimos in present and preterite, 3sg preterite partiu.
- to depart sense is formal/literary in BR — prefer sair / ir embora / viajar in speech.
- to break/split (partir o pão, partir o coração) is everyday; quebrar covers shatter/malfunction.
- The chunk a partir de (starting from) is the highest-frequency use — forward-looking, unlike backward-looking desde.
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Start learning Portuguese→Related Topics
- Third Conjugation: -ir VerbsA1 — How to conjugate the third conjugation (-ir verbs) — the rarest class by count, yet home to many of the most-used verbs in Brazilian Portuguese.
- The Three Conjugation Classes (-ar, -er, -ir)A1 — How Brazilian Portuguese sorts every verb into three classes by infinitive ending, and what that tells you about its conjugation.
- SairA1 — How to conjugate and use sair (to leave, go out, come out) in Brazilian Portuguese — an irregular hiatus verb with the tricky í-accent forms saí, saímos, saíram.
- DecidirA2 — Full conjugation and usage reference for 'decidir' (to decide) — a fully regular -ir verb with useful patterns: decidir + infinitive, decidir-se, decidir sobre.
- Preposition 'De': Of, From, About, ByA1 — How 'de' marks possession, origin, material, and content in Brazilian Portuguese — its obligatory contractions (do, da, dele) and the verbs that demand it.