Is the discussion below, Chris says this means They’re leaving soon. Yet I was just marked wrong for using this term for that same translation. This section is the most confusing and I’m asking if you can direct me to other resources for more help. Thanks.
In French, depending on context you will use one of these four verbs to express to leave: partir, laisser, quitter or sortir.
Look at these sentences:
Note the following distinctions:
- partir means to leave / to go away. You can use it on its own (e.g. I leave = Je pars).
When used with a place, it will always be followed by a preposition (e.g. I leave from / for = Je pars de / pour)
When used with a place, it will always be followed by a preposition (e.g. I leave from / for = Je pars de / pour)
Special case:
It's very colloquial to say partir en vacances for to go on holiday:
- sortir means to go out. When used with de, sortir de + place, it can express the idea of 'leaving', in the sense of coming or going out of a place.
- quitter means to leave some place / somewhere. You cannot use it on its own: it always needs an object, and it can be used for places and people (for example to break up).
Quitter is also the only one to mean to leave / quit a job or [someone] for good.
- laisser means to leave something / to let. You cannot use it on its own. However, this one is NOT used for places, only to leave people or things in places.
Grammar Jargon:
partir and sortir are intransitive verbs, whereas quitter and laisser are always transitive verbs (i.e. have a direct object).
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 11 questions, 27 answers
Hi Liz,
1. Ils sortent bientôt = They are going out soon
2. Je sors avec Paul = I am going out with Paul
1. could be interpreted as they are leaving soon but is not the correct translation.
Liz asked:View original
Ils sortent bientôt
Is the discussion below, Chris says this means They’re leaving soon. Yet I was just marked wrong for using this term for that same translation. This section is the most confusing and I’m asking if you can direct me to other resources for more help. Thanks.
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MichaelKwiziq community member
Quitter - transitive verb - but direct or indirect?
On a recent quiz - "Nous quittons Londres." - was marked correct, while, "Nous quittons de Londres." Was marked incorrect. -- While the lesson was clear as to why "Nous partons de Londres" was the only correct answer, it was unclear on the distinction for the verb quitter. When I read other grammatically correct phrases as " Il a quitté de son plein gré." & "Il a quitté de son poste," where quitter is used as a direct transitive verb I get more confused. What makes the only correct usage in this case -- "Nous quittons Londres" - indirect??
Merci beaucoup!
Asked 1 month ago
Hi Michael,
Just to add to Alan's excellent answer.
Il a quitté de son poste is incorrect
Il a quitté Londres = He has left London
Il a quitté son poste = He has left his job
Il a quitté sa femme = He has left his wife
De son plein gré only describes the manner in which he left but you cannot say quitter de.
Hope this helps!
Alan Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
"De son plein gré" means "of his own free will", so it's not the object of the verb quitter. Although the lesson says that quitter has to have an object, I think it's acceptable if the object is understood. In full it would be "il a quitté son poste de son plein gré" .
Are you sure that "Il a quitté de son poste" is correct? It gets a few hits on google, but there are many more for "Il a quitté son poste".
Michael asked:View original
Quitter - transitive verb - but direct or indirect?
On a recent quiz - "Nous quittons Londres." - was marked correct, while, "Nous quittons de Londres." Was marked incorrect. -- While the lesson was clear as to why "Nous partons de Londres" was the only correct answer, it was unclear on the distinction for the verb quitter. When I read other grammatically correct phrases as " Il a quitté de son plein gré." & "Il a quitté de son poste," where quitter is used as a direct transitive verb I get more confused. What makes the only correct usage in this case -- "Nous quittons Londres" - indirect??
Merci beaucoup!
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GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Still being marked incorrect??
Will this query ever be addressed or am I just not understanding the subtleties of 'leaving'?
The question is: How would you say "They are leaving soon"
From the list of multiple choice answers, I chose only one option: Ils partent bientôt
I am flagged as 'nearly correct' for not choosing : Ils sortent bientôt as well.
It is my understanding from everything I've read in the lesson and via the responses that "sortir" only means 'leaving' when used with 'de'.
Asked 1 month ago
Hi G,
Thanks for flagging this up, "Ils sortent bientôt" is now marked as an incorrect answer in the system. As you pointed out, it is not a valid translation for "They are leaving soon".
G asked:View original
Still being marked incorrect??
Will this query ever be addressed or am I just not understanding the subtleties of 'leaving'?
The question is: How would you say "They are leaving soon"
From the list of multiple choice answers, I chose only one option: Ils partent bientôt
I am flagged as 'nearly correct' for not choosing : Ils sortent bientôt as well.
It is my understanding from everything I've read in the lesson and via the responses that "sortir" only means 'leaving' when used with 'de'.
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LizKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
According to the lesson, they leave work should use partir, not quitter. Why is it quitter?
Asked 8 months ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Quitter le travail I would translate to mean "leaving the job". There is the ambiguity of quitting the job (as in being unemployed) or just leaving for the day. It seems to be present, to some degree, in French as well.
Liz asked:View original
According to the lesson, they leave work should use partir, not quitter. Why is it quitter?
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LizKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
For I leave early why quitte and not pars, which is what was indicated in the notebook lessons. Please explain?
Asked 8 months ago
Liz asked:View original
For I leave early why quitte and not pars, which is what was indicated in the notebook lessons. Please explain?
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Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
?
I just did a quiz that says “Ils partent leur travail à 19h“ is wrong & “Ils quittent leur travail à 19h” is the correct answer. Can someone please explain why this is so? I can’t see why “partent” is wrong given what the lesson content says.
Asked 8 months ago
Hi Sara,
It would be "Ils partent de leur travail à 19h" or "Ils quittent leur travail à 19 h" .
For 'to leave something' you will normally use the transitive verb 'quitter'
e.g.
Nous quittons le bureau à 17 h tous les jours = We leave the office at 5 pm every day
Il a quitté sa femme = He has left his wife
Elle a quitté son pays à l'âge de 18 ans = She left her country at the age of 18
If you simply want to say 'to leave' you will use the intransitive verb 'partir'-
Je suis partie très tard ce matin = I left very late this morning
Partons vite! = Let's leave quickly!
You can use 'partir de' in a transitive way to by adding the de + place
Je suis partie de chez moi à l'âge de 16 ans = I left home at 16
The verb 'laisser' is often to 'leave behind'-
Laisse tomber! = Let it go!
J'ai laissé mon sac dans le train = I left my bag in the train
Hope this helps!
AndreaKwiziq community member
I agree Sara - the lesson does not illustrate quitter the way the quiz question “Ils quittent leur travail à 19h” asks. In fact, it (the lesson) states quitter means to leave something/someone for good.
CécileKwiziq team member
Hi Sara,
I have a look at the lesson and it says that -
Quitter is the only verb you can use to express to leave something for good
It doesn’t say you cannot use it to mean to leave something like your place of work.
In grammatical terms , partir is intransitive and laisser/quitter are transitive which means the latter will have a direct object, so you cannot say -
Partir le travail
It has to be - quitter le travail ...
Laisser I always think as to let or to leave behind.
Hope this helps!
Sara asked:View original
?
I just did a quiz that says “Ils partent leur travail à 19h“ is wrong & “Ils quittent leur travail à 19h” is the correct answer. Can someone please explain why this is so? I can’t see why “partent” is wrong given what the lesson content says.
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AnnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I was about to post this but can see all the discussion about it...so will the test question be corrected? "According to the lesson sortir requires de
Asked 9 months ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Sortir de means to exit from somewhere. Without the "de" it means to go out.
AnnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
But my point is that it is wrong then on the test and should be corrected.
GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Yes, once again I was marked wrong for the same question when the test is wrong.
We are told that sortir on its own means 'to go out', not 'to leave' but the answer says that "ils sortent bientôt" means they are LEAVING soon.
Ann asked:View original
I was about to post this but can see all the discussion about it...so will the test question be corrected? "According to the lesson sortir requires de
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GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I thought sortir needed to be followed by "de" to express the idea of "leaving".?
The quiz question was:
How would you say "They are leaving soon".
The two correct responses were:
Ils partent bientôt.
Ils sortent bientôt.
I didn't choose the one containing sortent because the "de" was missing and I took it to mean they are going out soon.
Could someone please clarify this.
Asked 11 months ago
Hi G,
You are all correct,
sortir on its own is to go out
Nous sortons ensemble ce soir = We are going out together tonight
En sortant de la maison j'ai rencontré Marie = I met Marie on leaving the house
Vous sortez du secteur américain = You are leaving the American sector
( on a photo taken in 1961 at 'Checkpoint Charlie' found in an article about the German unification )
I have already asked Aurélie to have a look at the quiz as there might be an error...
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
You only use "de" with sortir if you want to say where you are exiting from.
Je sors du cinéma. -- I exit the movie theater. (Here you exit from the theater.)Je sors ce soir. -- I go out tonight (no "de", because no need to say where you're going out from)
GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
What is confusing me is the question was asking how to say "They are leaving soon" (not exiting or going out) and the lesson states that sortir needs "de" to express the idea of "leaving".
GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thanks for your help Chris but I will have to put this into the “just don’t get it” category. I must be missing something on this one. It happens....
One last question before putting it to bed:
The correct translation for – “Ils sortent bientôt” = "They are leaving soon”.
Is that correct?
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Yes, that's correct.
Sortir = leaving, going out.Sortir de = leaving or exiting from somewhere
Alan Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
It's a pity there's been no response from a native speaker - I thought G was correct, sortir on its own means to go out, not to leave.
GKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who finds the “sortir” part of this lesson a little confusing. I did use the report button initially to get clarification on this point but was redirected here.
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Yes, in fact, sortir de is leaving and I miswrote in my previous post. But it is always "leaving from somewhere". You can't say "Je sors de" in French if you want to say "I'm leaving". You'd say "Je m'en vais", for example, or simply "Je pars".
If you are leaving or exiting a particular place, you use sortir de.
G asked:View original
I thought sortir needed to be followed by "de" to express the idea of "leaving".?
The quiz question was:
How would you say "They are leaving soon".
The two correct responses were:
Ils partent bientôt.
Ils sortent bientôt.
I didn't choose the one containing sortent because the "de" was missing and I took it to mean they are going out soon.
Could someone please clarify this.
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RodKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Quitter vs Partir
We were asked to translate “I am leaving my place”. But it is ambiguous in English. E.g. if followed by “for ever” (as in moving out of my apartment), that would be “quitter”. But followed by “so i will see you at the cafe soon” would be “partir”. Shouldn’t the phrase be clarified to avoid ambiguity?
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
You can even say quitter if you leave work for home.
Je quit le travail à 5 heures et je rentre à la maison.
CécileKwiziq team member
Hi Rod,
As has been said elsewhere in the Q&A in this lesson -
Quitter and laisser are transitive and have an object unlike ´partir' which doesn't , so the use of the verb will depend on the actual sentence ...
Rod asked:View original
Quitter vs Partir
We were asked to translate “I am leaving my place”. But it is ambiguous in English. E.g. if followed by “for ever” (as in moving out of my apartment), that would be “quitter”. But followed by “so i will see you at the cafe soon” would be “partir”. Shouldn’t the phrase be clarified to avoid ambiguity?
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JenniferKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Partir vs quitter
I'm a bit unsure about the difference between these two. If you leave the job then it's quitter, but if you leave Paris, perhaps for good but perhaps not are both possible?
Asked 3 years ago
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributorCorrect answer
Partir is an intransitive verb meaning that it does not require a direct object to complete its meaning.
Quitter is a transitive verb meaning that it does require a direct object to complete its meaning.
Quitter is a transitive verb meaning that it does require a direct object to complete its meaning.
Jennifer asked:View original
Partir vs quitter
I'm a bit unsure about the difference between these two. If you leave the job then it's quitter, but if you leave Paris, perhaps for good but perhaps not are both possible?
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JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Partir Must be followed by a preposition but does Sortir?
It seems as though "sortir" MUST be followed by "de + a place" and never "pour + a place" but the lesson is much less emphatic about "sortir" than "partir." Do the same rules apply? "Sortir is not always instransitive as in your lesson with Sortir + Avoir in the passé composé. Je sors pour Londres or Je sors Londres are not possible. Is that correct?
Asked 4 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour John,
Both of these French verbs can indicate movement toward and away from a place, and they both need prepositions for these meanings.
Je pars de Londres / Je pars pour Londres = I'm leaving London / I'm leaving for London.
Je sors de Londres / Je sors à Londres = I'm leaving from London / I'm going out in London.
You're correct that Je sors pour Londres and Je sors Londres are not possible, but remember that these verbs can also be used without places, e.g., Je pars à midi, On va sortir ce soir.
Tom Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I believe sortir can also be used transitively as in:
Je sors le chien - I am putting the dog out
Je sors les ordures - I am putting the trash out
DanielKwiziq community member
Hi, in those examples "Je pars à midi" and "On va sortir ce soir",
is it incorrect to say "Je sors à midi" and "On va partir ce soir"?
John asked:View original
Partir Must be followed by a preposition but does Sortir?
It seems as though "sortir" MUST be followed by "de + a place" and never "pour + a place" but the lesson is much less emphatic about "sortir" than "partir." Do the same rules apply? "Sortir is not always instransitive as in your lesson with Sortir + Avoir in the passé composé. Je sors pour Londres or Je sors Londres are not possible. Is that correct?
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