The verbs partir, laisser, quitter, and sortir all mean “to leave." Why so many verbs? Which one should you use in which context? For example, did you know that you have to use a different French verb for leaving a friend, leaving a place, or leaving your keys on the table? Let's find out how to translate “leave” in the right way. C’est parti (off we go)!

Let's start with partir, which simply means to “leave” or “depart”:

On part à dix heures

We leave at ten a.m.

Caption 3, Miniji Gwendal

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Partir often implies travel. You can use it to talk about a plane departing:

[Si] ça se trouve, l'avion est déjà parti.

It could be that the plane already left.

Caption 8, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma fille et mon mari se sont fait berner - Part 8

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Or about leaving to go on a trip, like this ceramics specialist who travels for research:

Je pars deux mois minimum chaque année à l'étranger

I leave for two months minimum overseas each year

Captions 44-45, Vauréal Manon Saenko, En Mille Morceaux

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Now, saying something as simple as “I left my place” or “I left home” is a bit trickier in French. You can't translate this literally and say je suis parti ma maison, as this makes no sense at all in French. Partir is intransitive (does not take an object), so you will have to use auxiliary être in the past tense and insert the preposition de: 

Alors je suis parti de chez moi vers quinze heures.

So I left my place around three p.m.

Caption 40, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Usurpation d'identité entre frères ? - Part 2

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Incidentally, if you forget to add de after parti, you will end up saying the opposite!

Alors je suis parti chez moi vers quinze heures.

So I left for my place around three p.m.

Alternatively, you can use the verb quitter to avoid confusion. Since quitter is transitive, you can say quitter la maison (to leave the house), no preposition needed:

Sans bruit je quitte la maison

Without a sound I leave the house

Caption 19, Michel Sardou Comme d'habitude

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In the following example, the speaker uses both partir and quitter to tell his wife that he's moving out (partir) and leaving her in the process (quitter)!

Et ben en fait, c'est moi qui pars. Voilà! Je te quitte.

Well, in fact, I'm the one leaving. There! I'm leaving you.

Captions 33-34, Le Jour où tout a basculé Mes grands-parents sont infidèles - Part 2

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On the other hand, in this song, leaving family behind was not by choice:

Tu as quitté tous tes frères / Pour protéger ma chère mère / Qui a dû quitter la sienne

You left all your brothers / To protect my dear mother / Who had to leave hers

Captions 5-7, Ina-Ich Libre comme l'eau

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Some people are forced or choose to leave their country for political reasons, like this sculptor:

Il a quitté la Pologne à cause du régime soviétique.

He left Poland because of the Soviet regime.

Caption 6, Lionel Le Musée du Calendrier de la Paix - Part 4

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In any case, be careful when using the verb quitter, as it has a much more permanent feeling than partir. Quitter quelqu’un usually means breaking ties with them. So if you're just leaving someone for a bit to go about your business, laisser is the preferred choice. In this video, Sophie has to leave Patrice to do some delicious cooking. She uses the expression il faut que + subjunctive (I have to):

Je dois aller faire la cuisine. Ah. -Faut que je te laisse. -Fais-moi un poulet coco.

I have to go cook. Ah. -I have to leave you. -Make me a coconut chicken.

Captions 105-106, Sophie et Alexandre Et les vacances ?

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Alternatively, you can avoid the subjunctive by saying je te laisse (I’ll leave you to it) as you part company:

Bon, je te laisse et je te dis à bientôt.

OK, I'll leave you to it, and I'll see you soon.

Caption 78, Lionel et Hamid Le Parc de la Villette

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If guests don’t get the message, you can always tell them to leave by using the expression laissez-moi tranquille if you really need to be “left alone,” like poor Isabelle in this video:

Je connais mes droits. Donc laissez-moi tranquille.

I know my rights. So leave me alone.

Caption 89, Mère & Fille La soirée

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Laisser not only applies to people, but can also mean leaving something behind, for posterity even, as in laisser un héritage (to leave a legacy):

Elle nous laisse un héritage immense, et immortel.

She leaves us an immense legacy, and immortal.

Captions 119-120, Français avec Nelly Coco Chanel - Part 2

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And if you leave something behind by accident, as in forgetting your car keys inside the car, also use laisser:

Zut ! J’ai laissé mes clés de contact dans la voiture !

Darn! I left my car keys inside the car!

Laisser has additional meanings. For example, the construction laisser + infinitive means “to let” or “to allow." In the video below, Barbara tells us that her mother has misgivings about [la] laisser sortir le soir (letting [her] go out at night):

Elle avait toujours un peu de mal à me laisser sortir le soir.

She still had a little trouble letting me go out at night.

Captions 23-24, Mère & Fille La soirée

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Like Barbara, French people were not allowed to sortir de chez eux (leave the house) during the pandemic, but thankfully this is not the case anymore. Sortir is similar to partir, though it has a more specific sense of "going out(side)" or "exiting" a place:

En effet, les Français n'ont plus besoin d'autorisation pour sortir de chez eux.

Indeed, French people no longer need an authorization to leave their homes.

Captions 3-4, Lionel L Le déconfinement

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You can even use sortir when leaving the table (sortir de table):

Quand midi arrive que je sors juste de table

When lunchtime arrives, as I've just left the table

Caption 14, Oldelaf Je mange

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C’est l’heure de partir et de vous laisser (It’s time to leave and to leave you to it). Thank you for reading!

When you want to exit a building, look for a sign that says Sortie (Exit). Based on the past participle of the verb sortir (to go out), la sortie is a very versatile word that can be used in many different ways, both literally and figuratively.

As mentioned earlier, la sortie refers to “the exit” of a building. The studio in the video below has several sorties, which may explain André’s wife’s mysterious disappearance:

Ah ben... parce qu'il y a d'autres sorties...

Oh, well... because there are other exits... 

Caption 24, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma femme est-elle réellement morte ? - Part 2

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Just as in English, you can combine sortie with faire (to make): faire sa sortie (to make one's exit), like singers and superstars do.

Voici comment toutes les grandes superstars font leur sortie.

Here's how all the big superstars make their exit.

Captions 64-65, Extr@ Ep. 5 - Une étoile est née - Part 3

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Speaking of singers, we also use the word sortie to talk about an album release:

Sortie de l'album le vingt-sept février deux mille douze

Album release February twenty-seventh, two thousand twelve

Caption 1, Boulbar New York, 6 heures du matin

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Sortie is also a verb form meaning "released." In this case, it's the feminine past participle of the verb sortir (to be released). Remember that sortir belongs to the small group of verbs that go with the auxiliary être and take agreement in the past tense. In the video below, sortie agrees with the feminine noun chanson (song):

Cette chanson est sortie en deux mille onze.

This song was released in two thousand eleven.

Caption 134, Français avec Nelly 12 Songs to Improve Your French - Part 1

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It’s not just songs or movies that can be released. People can too! In the example below, it’s a prisoner who is being freed.

Dès sa sortie de prison, Brice contacte Enzo.

As soon as he is released from prison, Brice contacts Enzo.

Caption 1, Le Jour où tout a basculé À la recherche de mon père - Part 9

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The recently released prisoner would no longer need permission for chaque sortie (each outing), unlike French residents during the early COVID pandemic:

Il faut signer une attestation, surtout attester de chaque sortie.

You have to sign a certificate, above all register every outing.

Captions 54-55, Lionel L La pandémie

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As for poor Barbara, she has to beg her mother for la permission de sortie:

Il fallait passer par d'interminables négociations pour obtenir la permission de sortie.

I had to go through endless negotiations to obtain permission to go out.

Captions 26-27, Mère & Fille La soirée

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Unlike Barbara, our former prisoner is free to enjoy être de sortie (being out and about), like the people in this Christine and the Queens song:

Nous et la "man", on est de sortie

We and the man, we are out and about

Caption 25, Christine and the Queens Christine

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Être de sortie can also just mean “to be out,” as opposed to being home:

J'aurais pu refuser et prétexter que j'étais de sortie

I could've refused on the pretext that I was out

Caption 72, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 5

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Interestingly, when sortie is preceded by the definite article la (the), as in à la sortie, the phrase usually signals the end of an activity:

À la sortie, cette idée semble avoir été abandonnée

In the end, they seem to have abandoned this idea

Caption 6, Le Journal Enseigner l'Holocauste en classe

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À la sortie de la séance, certains n'en reviennent toujours pas.

At the end of the showing, some still can't believe it.

Caption 27, Le Journal Les Ch'tis

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...et de me les communiquer à la sortie du conseil de classe.

...and communicate them to me at the end of the teachers' conference.

Captions 54-55, Mère & Fille Le coup de téléphone

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However, note the subtlety here. La sortie des classes doesn’t just mean the end of classes, but also when classes are dismissed:

Ça tombe juste pendant la sortie des classes.

That falls right when classes are dismissed.

Caption 23, Le Jour où tout a basculé Ma mère fait tout pour briser mon couple - Part 3

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And watch out: in a different context, une sortie de classe is a "field trip" or "school trip," like the one Barbara is going on: 

Les sorties de classe, c'est l'occasion de découvrir des choses nouvelles

Class field trips are an opportunity to discover new things

Caption 1, Mère & Fille La sortie de classe

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Here are some other uses of the noun sortie. This one is straightforward: à la sortie du four means “out of the oven."

...pour que les manneles à la sortie du four, ils aient une belle croûte. 

...so that the mannele out of the oven have a beautiful crust.

Caption 62, Alsace 20 Grain de Sel: le Lycée hôtelier Alexandre Dumas

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In the next example, however, the meaning is not so obvious. Remember earlier when we talked about la sortie d’un album? This time, la sortie sort of means the opposite: "the phaseout" or "the end of an era":

Tu crois que pour toi ça symbolise la sortie du nucléaire, là ?

Do you think this symbolizes the phaseout of nuclear energy for you?

Caption 75, Actus Quartier Manif anti-nucléaire à Bastille

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Another less common meaning of sortie is “output” in an industrial context, as in la sortie de l’électricité:

Dans les batteries, on a des contacteurs qui coupent la sortie de l'électricité

In the batteries, we have contactors that shut off the electricity output

Captions 64-65, Bateau sport 100% électrique Le Nautique 196 E

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And in a commercial context, we have l'entrée et sortie de marchandises: 

...logiciels informatiques pour gérer tout ce qui est entrée et sortie de marchandises. 

...computing software to manage everything that is about the entry and departure of goods.

Captions 33-34, GO! Formations Présentation du centre

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Indeed, sortie can mean “departure,” as in to leave a place or depart. In the video below, la sortie refers to the time the couple left the hotel:

Au moment de leur sortie, eh bien, cette carte avait disparu.

At the time of their departure, well, this card had gone missing.

Captions 88-89, Le Jour où tout a basculé À l'audience - Arnaque en couple ? - Part 6

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In some cases, sortie doesn’t just mean “departure,” but “quitting,” as in giving up:

C'est-à-dire les différentes épisodes de sortie, ensuite, les envies, et cetera, correspondent en tout point à ce que nous vivons avec...des patients qui fument...

That is, the different quitting episodes, then the cravings, et cetera, correspond point by point with what we experience with...patients who smoke...

Captions 157-160, Le Figaro Elle a banni le sucre pendant un an - Part 2

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So far, we’ve explored many ways of using the word sortie, and like Sacha in the video below, you may be wondering comment vous allez vous en sortir (how you’re going to manage):

Oh là là là là, comment vont-ils s'en sortir ?

Oh dear, how are they going to manage?

Caption 10, Extr@ Ep. 6 - Le jour du loto - Part 1

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Just keep in mind that the main meanings of sortie are “exit," "departure," and "outing." However, pay close attention to context to interpret the less common uses of sortie. And remember that Yabla videos are at your disposal pour vous aider à vous en sortir (to help you cope). Thanks for reading!

Partir normally means “to leave,” as in nous sommes partis (we left). However, c’est parti is an idiomatic expression that has little to do with its literal meaning, "it left." So, without further ado, let’s explore the various shades of meaning of this very popular catchphrase. C’est parti! (Here we go!)

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When it’s clear from the context that we’re talking in the past tense, c’est parti has a fairly straightforward meaning: “it started." In the video below, the speaker discusses how the Belleville upcycling center began: 

Et puis voilà. C'est comme ça que c'est parti.

And there you are. That's how it started.

Caption 117, Actu Vingtième Le bleu dans les yeux, recyclerie de Belleville

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So far so good. However, c’est parti doesn't always refer to something in the past, despite its verb being in the past tense. In fact, c’est parti usually describes an event that hasn’t happened yet. It tells us that something is about to start. Moreover, c’est parti is often accompanied with an exclamation mark to reflect the enthusiasm of the person starting an activity:

Et nous, on goûte. Allez, c'est parti! Fourchettes! Bon appétit!

And we're going to taste it. OK, here we go! Forks out! Bon appétit!

Caption 116, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano Médaillon de Homard - Part 3

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You can even add a little color to the expression by saying, Cest parti, mon kiki! Kiki is a colloquial term for "throat," but it only appears here for the rhyme:

C’est parti, mon kiki! 

Let’s get cracking!

In any case, c’est parti used on its own is something people say when they want to get started, like Amal setting off on a bike ride in the following video:

Voilà! C'est parti.

There! Let's go.

Caption 46, Amal Vélib

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Later in the same video, you will find another variation in the English translation of c’est parti:

Voilà. C'est bon. Le vélo... Et c'est parti!

There. It's good. The bike... And off you go!

Caption 50, Amal Vélib

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Similarly, c’est parti can also mean “we’re off”:

C'est parti, on y va.

And we're off, here we go.

Caption 44, Delphine et Automne Le gâteau au yaourt - Part 2

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Saying c’est parti is a perfect way to announce the start of a race. It's equivalent to on y va (let’s go/here we go):

Bon ben c'est parti. -Top chrono, c'est parti.

Good, well, here we go. -Starting now, here we go.

Caption 37, Joanna La course à pied: Conseils

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Another variation of c’est parti is c’est parti pour (for) in combination with a time period, to indicate duration: 

C'est donc parti pour trois jours de concert. Au programme, musique classique et jazz

So it's off for a three-day concert. On the program: classical music and jazz

Caption 2, Grand Lille TV Un piano dans le métro!

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C’est parti pour can also introduce what’s coming, as in “it’s time for” something: 

Huit heures, le suspense prend fin. C'est parti pour quatre heures de réflexion.

Eight o'clock, the suspense is over. Time for four hours of recollection.

Caption 4, Le Journal Le bac

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You can also use c’est parti pour to discuss what you might expect. In the video below, Sophie and Patrice speculate about the weather. Sophie thinks “they are in for" some rain:

Ah mais là, on est parti pour une semaine, hein?

Ah but here, we'll be in it for a week, huh?

Caption 9, Sophie et Patrice La pluie

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Here Sophie replaces c'est with on est. Note, however, that on est parti is usually not an idiomatic expression, but retains its literal meaning (we left):

On est parti de Rome...

We left Rome...

Caption 48, Lionel et Automne Lionel retourne à l'école

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In addition to the phrase c’est parti pour, you can qualify c’est parti with an adverb like bien (well) or mal (badly) to indicate whether things are going to turn out well or badly. So, the expression t’es bien parti means “you’re off to a good start/on the right track”:

Je pense que t'es bien parti.

I think that you're on the right track.

Caption 109, 4 Mains pour 1 Piano Médaillon de Homard - Part 3

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And of course, c’est mal parti means the opposite, “to be off to a bad start," like Amal's awful singing:

C'est très mal parti quand tu... -J'ai fait cinq ans de conservatoire.

It's off to a very bad start when you... -I did five years of conservatory.

Caption 52, Amal et Caroline Je n'aime pas quand tu chantes

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Note that Caroline could have put it another way and said:

T’es très mal partie. 

You’re off to a very bad start.

Finally, you can add the suffix re- and say c’est reparti (here we go again) to indicate repetition, which can be meant as a good thing or a bad thing. In the video below, Nico expresses his frustration with Sam and says:

C'est reparti!

Here we go again!

Caption 19, Extr@ Ep. 4 - Sam trouve du travail - Part 7

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And Barbara is also frustrated with her mother, who does the same annoying thing over and over:

Et voilà, c'était reparti pour l'interrogatoire de police.

And then she went off again with the police interrogation.

Captions 39-40, Mère & Fille La soirée

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As you can see, there are many ways of interpreting c’est parti. In general, it's an idiomatic expression that marks the beginning of an action. With a little practice, you'll be able get a sense of its nuances in context. Keep watching Yabla videos, dear readers, and vous serez bien partis (you’ll be off to a great start)! Thank you for reading!