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Le neuvième jour, il est parti.

Le neuvième jour, il est parti.
On the ninth day, he left.
From Lesson 231:Ordinal numbers·French

Breakdown of Le neuvième jour, il est parti.

partir
to leave / to depart
le jour
the day
neuvième
ninth

Questions & Answers about Le neuvième jour, il est parti.

Why is there no word for "on" in Le neuvième jour?
In English, we say "on the ninth day," but French doesn't use a preposition like sur for days or dates. You just use the definite article le directly before the day.
Why is neuvième spelled with a "v" when the number nine is neuf?
When changing neuf (nine) into the ordinal number neuvième (ninth), the f changes to a v before adding the -ième ending. This makes pronunciation smoother by avoiding a harsh consonant sound before the vowel.
Why does the sentence use est parti instead of a parti?
The verb partir (to leave) is one of the specific verbs of movement that use être as their helping verb in the passé composé. Because the subject is il, we use est.
Could I use il a quitté instead of il est parti for "he left"?
Not in this sentence. The verb quitter means "to leave" but it requires a direct object, meaning you must state exactly what or who was left (for example, il a quitté la ville). When someone simply departs and you don't name the place, you must use partir.

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