To Leave, To Exit... quitter, sortir, partir, laisser

November 2014 Grammar Lesson: To Leave, To Exit
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To Leave, To Exit...
quitter, sortir, partir, laisser
We have many verbs in French to translate the notion of “to leave” based on the context, and they are,
unfortunately, not interchangeable.
Quitter – to leave forever + break up with
“Quitter” is followed by a direct object. Quitter is used mostly in 2 specific situations:
1. quitter son mari = to leave (break up with) your husband, your lover. Je te quitte = I am breaking up with you.
2. you can also quit a job, or quit a place forever = “quitter un travail, quitter un pays”.
But watch out, we say “arrêter de fumer” (to quit smoking) – not “quitter”.
Sortir (de, dans, sur…) – to leave as in to exit a place.
Sortir is followed by a preposition of place and complement of place (not a direct object as in English).
• Je sors DE la maison. I am exiting the house.
• Je sors DANS la rue. I am going out in the street.
The focus in on the motion: so it’s more a description of your whereabouts, and when you exited a place to go in
antother one, and often both places are going to be specified. With this meaning, “sortir” will take “être” in passé
composé.
• Je suis sortie DE ma chambre pour aller dans la cuisine. (I left/ exited/got out of my room to go in the kitchen)
Sortir + direct object = to take something outside
In this meaning, “sortir” will take “avoir” in passé composé.
• Je sors les chiens = I’m taking the dogs out
• J’ai sorti les poubelles – I took the garbage outside
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T hin k Fre nch - no vembre 2 0 1 4
Sortir avec quelqu’un: to go out (socially – romantic or not)
It will take “être” in passé composé
• Ce soir, je sors = I’m going out (socially) tonight
• Il sort avec Anne = he is Anne’s boyfriend
• Il sort avec Anne = he is going out (to the movies) with Anne – the context will hopefully tell you the difference.
• Je suis sortie au cinéma = I went out to the movies.
Note the difference “je suis sortie DU cinéma” I left the movies / “je suis sortie AU cinéma” I went out to the movies.
Partir = to leave behind, to depart
Partir is never followed by a direct object. It’s usually used alone, or with a complement of place (like a destination)
or a complement of time. It’s mostly the idea of living a situation to enter another one, rather than exiting a precise
place to enter another one (sortir). It’s the action of departing. It often involves a feeling,
Watch out! The verb is “partir”, not départir which doesn’t exist. The noun however is “le départ” = the departure.
And it takes “être” in passé composé.
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Je pars = I am leaving
Je pars en voyage = I am leaving in a trip
Je pars à 6h = I am leaving at 6 PM
Je pars DE Paris: I’m leaving (from) Paris.
We also say “je m’en vais” for “je pars”.
Contrast “Partir” and “Sortir”
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Demain, je vais partir de Paris pour aller à Nice. Tomorrow, I’ll leave Paris to go to Nice.
C’est difficile de sortir de Paris le vendredi soir en voiture. It’s hard to leave (to exit) Paris on friday night by car.
Demain, je sors = tomorrow, I have plans (to go out with my friends)
Demain, je pars = tomorrow, I am leaving (leaving what and for how long, the sentence doesn’t say…)
Il est sorti de sa chambre pour aller dans la cuisine = he went out of his room to go in the kitchen…
Laisser – to leave behind
Laisser is followed by a direct object, not a place… It takes avoir in passé composé.
• Je laisse ma voiture dans le garage – I am leaving my car in the garage
• Je laisse ma chienne à mon amie – I’m leaving my dog with my friend
Exercise: Check If You Can Understand And Then Translate
Aujourd’hui, j’ai laissé la cuisine en désordre (je n’ai pas sorti la poubelle) parce que je devais partir immédiatement.
J’avais des projets pour sortir avec Pierre. Je suis sortie de la cuisine, j’ai mis mon manteau et puis je suis partie. J’ai
passé une mauvaise soirée avec Pierre, et ce soir–là, j’ai décidé de le quitter.
(Today, I left the kitchen in a mess (I didn’t take the garbage out) because I had to leave right away. I had some plans
to go out with Pierre. I came out of the kitchen, I put my coat on and I left. I had a bad evening with Pierre, and that
evening, I decided to break up with him.)
w w w. t h i n k f re n c h . c o m
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