# Partir Conjugation — Every Tense of the French Verb “To Leave”

> **Partir** means “to leave” or “to set off”. Présent: **je pars, tu pars, il part, nous partons, vous partez, ils partent**. Its past takes **être** — *je suis parti* — so it agrees with the subject. It is not interchangeable with *quitter*: **partir** never takes a direct object.

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Updated: 2026-09-16

## Présent — the consonant that drops

Partir is an -ir verb but not the finir kind — there is no -iss- anywhere in it. Instead the stem loses its final consonant in the singular: part- becomes par- for je, tu and il, and comes back in the plural.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| je pars | I leave |
| tu pars | you leave |
| il / elle part | he / she leaves |
| nous partons | we leave |
| vous partez | you leave |
| ils / elles partent | they leave |

**Three verbs, one pattern** — Partir, sortir and dormir all work this way — drop the last consonant of the stem in the singular, restore it in the plural. So do mentir, sentir, servir and repartir. Learn the shape once.

You can hear the plural clearly: il part is “par” and ils partent is “part”, with the t audible. That final consonant is the only thing separating singular from plural by ear.

## The four verbs that mean “to leave”

This is the section worth the visit. English uses one verb; French uses four, and they are not interchangeable.

| French | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| partir | setting off — never takes an object | je pars demain |
| quitter | leaving a place or a person — always takes an object | je quitte Paris |
| sortir | going out, exiting a building | je sors ce soir |
| laisser | leaving a thing behind | j’ai laissé mes clés |

**⚠ The mistake almost everyone makes** — Je pars Paris is wrong. Partir cannot take a direct object — you need je quitte Paris, or je pars de Paris with a preposition. Whenever you want to name the thing being left, either add de or switch to quitter.

The prepositions are worth having: partir à or partir pour for where you are going, partir de for where you are going from, partir en vacances for going on holiday.

## Passé composé — with être

A movement verb, so the helper is être and the participle agrees with whoever left: il est parti, elle est partie, ils sont partis, elles sont parties.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| je suis parti(e) | I left / have left |
| tu es parti(e) | you left / have left |
| il / elle est parti(e) | he / she left / have left |
| nous sommes parti(e)s | we left / have left |
| vous êtes parti(e)(s) | you left / have left |
| ils / elles sont parti(e)s | they left / have left |

**The feminine is audible here** — Unlike venu / venue, where the extra e changes nothing, parti and partie also sound the same — the t is already pronounced. The agreement is visible but not audible. Worth knowing so you do not listen for something that is not there.

## Imparfait — regular

From partons, so the t is present throughout: je partais. No irregularity at all in this tense.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| je partais | I used to leave / was leaving |
| tu partais | you used to leave / was leaving |
| il / elle partait | he / she used to leave / was leaving |
| nous partions | we used to leave / was leaving |
| vous partiez | you used to leave / was leaving |
| ils / elles partaient | they used to leave / was leaving |

## Futur and conditionnel — the infinitive plus endings

As regular as it gets: the whole infinitive is the stem, so partir + -ai gives je partirai. Nothing to learn.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| je partirai | I will leave |
| tu partiras | you will leave |
| il / elle partira | he / she will leave |
| nous partirons | we will leave |
| vous partirez | you will leave |
| ils / elles partiront | they will leave |

## Conditionnel — would leave

Je partirais. Common in advice and hypotheticals: moi, je partirais tôt — “if I were you I’d leave early”.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| je partirais | I would leave |
| tu partirais | you would leave |
| il / elle partirait | he / she would leave |
| nous partirions | we would leave |
| vous partiriez | you would leave |
| ils / elles partiraient | they would leave |

## Subjonctif — parte

Built off the ils stem, which keeps the t everywhere. Il faut que je parte — “I have to go” — is one of the most useful subjunctives in the language, and the standard way to excuse yourself.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| je parte | (that) I leave |
| tu partes | (that) you leave |
| il / elle parte | (that) he / she leave |
| nous partions | (that) we leave |
| vous partiez | (that) you leave |
| ils / elles partent | (that) they leave |

## Impératif — go on

Pars ! and partez !. Partons is a gentle “let’s go” — softer than allons-y, which is more “come on then”.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| pars ! | leave! (to one person you know) |
| partons ! | let’s leave! |
| partez ! | leave! (formal, or to a group) |

## Plus-que-parfait — had left

Être in the imparfait plus the agreeing participle: il était déjà parti, “he had already left”.

| French | English |
|---|---|
| j’étais parti(e) | I had left |
| tu étais parti(e) | you had left |
| il / elle était parti(e) | he / she had left |
| nous étions parti(e)s | we had left |
| vous étiez parti(e)(s) | you had left |
| ils / elles étaient parti(e)s | they had left |

## FAQ

### How do you conjugate partir in the present tense?

Je pars, tu pars, il / elle part, nous partons, vous partez, ils / elles partent. The t of the stem disappears in the singular and comes back in the plural.

### What is the difference between partir and quitter?

Partir never takes a direct object — it is just “to set off”. Quitter always takes one. Je pars is fine; je pars Paris is not — say je quitte Paris or je pars de Paris.

### Does partir take avoir or être?

Être. Je suis parti, and the participle agrees with the subject — partie, partis, parties.

### Is partir a regular -ir verb?

No. Regular -ir verbs follow finir and insert -iss- in the plural. Partir instead drops the final stem consonant in the singular, like sortir and dormir.

### How do you say “I have to go” in French?

Il faut que je parte, or more simply je dois partir. Both are polite ways to end a conversation.

### What is the difference between partir and sortir?

Partir is leaving for somewhere — setting off. Sortir is going out of a building, or going out for the evening. Je pars demain means you are going away; je sors ce soir means you have plans.

## Related guides

- Sortir conjugation: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/sortir-conjugation
- Venir conjugation: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/venir-conjugation
- Aller conjugation: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides/aller-conjugation
- All free French guides: https://cocoonfrench.com/guides