Paul part ; je dis : « À bientôt ! »

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Breakdown of Paul part ; je dis : « À bientôt ! »

• Paul: Paul
• partir: to leave
• dire: to say

Questions & Answers about Paul part ; je dis : « À bientôt ! »

Why is it part and not pars?

Because the subject is Paul, which is third-person singular: he.

The verb is partir and its present-tense forms are:

• je pars
• tu pars
• il / elle / on part
• nous partons
• vous partez
• ils / elles partent

So with Paul, you need part:

• Paul part

If the speaker were leaving, it would be:

• Je pars

Why is je dis used here? Why not je dit?

Because je dis is the correct first-person singular form of dire in the present tense.

Present tense of dire:

• je dis
• tu dis
• il / elle / on dit
• nous disons
• vous dites
• ils / elles disent

So:

• je dis = I say
• il dit = he says

A learner often mixes up dis and dit, but they match different subjects.

Why are both verbs in the present tense?