Learn Hardcore French: Je pars maintenant.

The French verb partir is irregular. In the present tense, the first-person singular form is je pars (I leave). Other forms include tu pars (you leave) and il/elle part (he/she leaves). Notice how je pars keeps the 's' at the end, because that’s simply the correct conjugation pattern for the verb.

Do we pronounce the final s in pars?

In je pars, the s is silent. French typically doesn’t pronounce the final consonant unless it’s followed by a vowel sound in liaison or if the word ends in some consonants like -c, -r, -f, or -l in certain cases. Here, you simply say something like "par" (rhymes roughly with "far").

Is there another way to say "I’m leaving now" in French?

Yes, you can say je m’en vais maintenant, which literally translates to "I’m going away now," and it’s quite common in everyday speech. You can also say je pars tout de suite ("I’m leaving right away") for emphasis on immediacy.

What’s the difference between je pars and je vais partir?

Je pars is present tense and implies you are leaving right this moment. Je vais partir is the simple future formation with aller (to go) + the infinitive partir, which means "I’m going to leave" and has a slightly more future-oriented nuance. In casual usage, both can express a near-future action, but je pars tends to sound more immediate.

Why use maintenant instead of another word like tout de suite or immédiatement?

Maintenant is the most straightforward word for now. Tout de suite means right away or immediately, which emphasizes the urgency or speed of the action. Immédiatement is a more formal way to say immediately. Depending on context, all three could work, but maintenant is a standard choice for "now."