Partir vs sortir in French: leaving or going out

Use partir when someone leaves, departs or goes away from a place. Use sortir when someone goes out, exits, goes out socially, or takes something out. Je pars demain means “I’m leaving tomorrow”; je sors ce soir means “I’m going out tonight”. Both can use être in the passé composé when they describe movement: je suis parti, je suis sorti.

Verb Core idea Example
partir leave, depart, go away Je pars à huit heures.I’m leaving at eight.
sortir go out, exit Elle sort du bureau.She is leaving the office / going out of the office.
sortir go out socially Nous sortons ce soir.We’re going out tonight.
sortir + object take something out Il sort les clés.He takes out the keys.

Partir: to leave or depart

Partir focuses on departure. It does not take a direct object. If you name the starting place, use de.

Le train part à midi.
The train leaves at noon.

Nous partons de Paris demain.
We are leaving from Paris tomorrow.

In the passé composé, partir uses être, and the participle agrees with the subject: elle est partie, ils sont partis.

Sortir: to go out or exit

Sortir often means “to go out” or “to leave a place by going out of it”.

Je sors avec des amis ce soir.
I’m going out with friends tonight.

Elle sort de la gare.
She is coming out of the station.

For this movement meaning, the passé composé usually uses être: elle est sortie, nous sommes sortis.

Sortir with an object: to take out

When sortir has a direct object, it means “to take something out”. In that use, the passé composé uses avoir.

Il sort son téléphone.
He takes out his phone.

Elle a sorti les clés de son sac.
She took the keys out of her bag.

This helper change is a useful clue: elle est sortie = “she went out”; elle a sorti les clés = “she took out the keys”.

Common mistakes

Using partir for going out socially

For “going out tonight”, use sortir.

Je pars ce soir avec mes amis. -> Je sors ce soir avec mes amis.
I’m going out tonight with my friends.

Giving partir a direct object

Partir does not take the place as a direct object.

Je pars la maison. -> Je pars de la maison. / Je quitte la maison.
I’m leaving the house.

Using être when sortir has an object

Object-taking sortir uses avoir.

Elle est sorti les clés. -> Elle a sorti les clés.
She took out the keys.

Partir overlaps with quitter vs partir, while sortir adds the “go out / take out” side. Fluera gives you the full sentence frame, so you can see whether someone departs, goes out socially, exits, or takes an object out. Try it when you practice French.

Practice

Question 1 of 10

I'm leaving tomorrow.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between partir and sortir?
Partir means to leave, depart or go away: je pars demain. Sortir means to go out, exit, or take something out: je sors ce soir, elle sort les clés.
Do partir and sortir use être in the passé composé?
For movement, yes: je suis parti, elle est sortie. But when sortir takes a direct object, it uses avoir: elle a sorti les clés.
How do you say I'm going out tonight in French?
Say je sors ce soir. Use sortir for going out socially.
Can partir take a direct object?
No. Say je pars de Paris or je quitte Paris, not je pars Paris.