5 Different Ways to Say To Leave in French

5 Different Ways to Say To Leave in French There are five different French verbs that mean to leave. They are  partir, sen aller, sortir, quitter,  and laisser. These words all have different meanings, so for a non-native speaker, it can be tricky to understand what verb to use in which context.   French Verb Partir Partir means to leave in a general sense. It is the opposite of arriver, which means to arrive.  Partir is an  intransitive verb, meaning it cannot be followed by a direct object; however, it may be followed by a preposition with an indefinite object, which in this case, will normally be the destination or point of departure. Here are some examples using conjugations of the verb  partir: Nous partons jeudi. Were leaving on Thursday.Ils partent de Paris. Theyre leaving (from) Paris.Je suis parti pour le Quà ©bec. I left for Quà ©bec.In addition, partir is a euphemism for death:Mon mari est parti. My husband passed away. French Verb Sen Aller Sen aller is more or less interchangeable with partir  but it has a slightly informal nuance of one  going away/off, such as leaving a job after retiring. It can also mean to retire or to die. Examples using conjugations of sen aller  are below: Ils sen vont Paris.  Theyre going away to ParisJe men vais, salut!  Im off, bye!Va ten!  Go away!  Mon pà ¨re vient de sen aller. My father just retired (or died, depending on the context of the sentence). French Verb Sortir Sortir means to go out, to get out of something, or to get something out. It is the opposite of entrer (to enter) and can be transitive or intransitive. A few examples of the use of  sortir  include: Je sors ce soir.  Im going out tonight.Tu dois sortir de leau.  You have to get out of the water.Nous allons sortir en bicyclette.  Were going out for a bike ride.Il doit sortir la voiture du garage.  He has to get the car out of the garage. French Verb Quitter Quitter means to leave someone or something. It is a transitive verb, meaning that it must be followed by a direct object. It often indicates a prolonged separation, which is illustrated in these examples: Ils quittent la France.  Theyre leaving France.Il quitte sa femme.  Hes leaving his wife. The only exception to the direct object rule is when youre talking on the phone, in which case you might say Ne quittez pas which translates to Dont hang up. French Verb Laisser Laisser means to leave something in the sense of not taking it with/for oneself. This word is also a transitive verb, so similar to with  quitter, you must have a direct object to complete its use. Jai laissà © mon sac chez Luc.  I left my bag at Lucs house.Laissez-moi du gà ¢teau!  Leave me some cake! (Leave some cake for me!) Laisser can also mean to leave someone alone. For example, if someone were to say Laissez-moi tranquille!   it would translate to Leave me alone! or Let me be!