Quitter vs partir in French: two ways to say ‘leave’

Use partir when someone leaves / departs / goes away and there is no direct object: je pars à huit heures, elle est partie. Use quitter when someone leaves a specific place, person, job, company, website or app: je quitte Paris, elle quitte son travail. The grammar clue is simple: partir does not take a direct object; quitter usually does.

Partir: leave, depart, go away

Partir focuses on the act of leaving. It does not directly take the thing or place you leave.

Je pars maintenant. Elle est partie tôt.
I am leaving now. She left early.

If you name the place you are leaving from, use de.

Nous partons de Lyon demain matin.
We are leaving from Lyon tomorrow morning.

In the passé composé, partir uses être: je suis parti, elle est partie.

Quitter: leave something or someone

Quitter takes a direct object: the place, person, job or system you leave.

Je quitte le bureau à six heures.
I leave the office at six.

Elle a quitté son travail. Il a quitté le site.
She left her job. He left the website.

It can also mean “to leave someone” in a relationship: elle l’a quitté.

Do not confuse laisser

English “leave” can also mean “leave something behind”. French usually uses laisser for that meaning.

J’ai laissé mon téléphone à la maison.
I left my phone at home.

So the three-way choice is: partir = depart, quitter = leave a place/person, laisser = leave something behind or let something stay.

Common mistakes

Giving partir a direct object

Partir needs de if you name the starting place.

Je pars Paris. → Je pars de Paris. / Je quitte Paris.
I am leaving Paris.

Using quitter with no object

Quitter usually needs the thing or place you leave.

Je quitte à huit heures. → Je pars à huit heures.
I leave at eight.

Using quitter for a forgotten object

If you left your bag somewhere, use laisser.

J’ai quitté mon sac à la maison. → J’ai laissé mon sac à la maison.
I left my bag at home.

Because partir uses être in the past, this pair connects directly to the passé composé with être. In Fluera you choose the verb from the sentence frame — leaving at a time, leaving a place, or leaving an object behind — then hear the full French sentence. Try it when you practice French.

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