sortir is a French verb that means "to go out." It is used when someone leaves a place, goes out socially, or when things or people exit. It’s a key verb to know for talking about outings and departures.
- sortir = “to go out,” “to leave,” “to take out”
- Applies to people leaving, going out for fun, or things being taken out
- Common in everyday French for social and practical situations
'sortir' means 'to go out' in French.
Use 'sortir' for people leaving, going out socially, or when things are taken out.
'sortir' is an irregular verb.
Basic Meaning and Usage
sortir expresses the idea of going out, leaving, or exiting. It can be used for:
- People going out (for a walk, a date, a night out): Nous sortons ce soir. (We are going out tonight.)
- Leaving a room or building: Elle sort de la classe. (She leaves the classroom.)
- Taking something out (commonly used with objects): Il sort la poubelle. (He takes out the trash.)
'sortir' can be used for both people going out and objects being taken out.
Conjugation Patterns
sortir is an irregular verb in the -ir family and follows a special pattern for most forms. Here are key conjugations:
| Tense | Je | Tu | Il/Elle | Nous | Vous | Ils/Elles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Present | sors | sors | sort | sortons | sortez | sortent |
| Passé Composé | suis sorti(e) | es sorti(e) | est sorti(e) | sommes sortis | êtes sortis | sont sortis |
| Imparfait | sortais | sortais | sortait | sortions | sortiez | sortaient |
| Futur | sortirai | sortiras | sortira | sortirons | sortirez | sortiront |
- In present tense, sortir is similar to other verbs like partir and dormir.
- Use être as the auxiliary verb in passé composé (not avoir), and match gender/number.
Sortir uses 'être' as the auxiliary verb in the passé composé.
The endings for sortir are -s, -s, -t, -ons, -ez, -ent.
Example Sentences
- People going out:
Nous sortons au cinéma ce soir. (We’re going out to the movies tonight.)
- Leaving:
Il sort du bureau à 18h. (He leaves the office at 6 pm.)
- Taking something out:
Peux-tu sortir les cartons ? (Can you take out the boxes?)
- Social context:
Elle aime sortir avec ses amis. (She likes going out with her friends.)
- Passé Composé:
Ils sont sortis hier soir. (They went out last night.)
- Imparfait:
Quand j’étais jeune, je sortais souvent. (When I was young, I used to go out often.)
Use 'être' + 'sorti(e)' for 'sortir' in passé composé.
'Sortir' is used for leaving, going out, and taking things out.
Conclusion
sortir is an essential French verb for expressing any kind of “going out” or “leaving”—whether someone steps out, goes out socially, or something is taken out of place. Its irregular conjugation and use of être in the passé composé make it important to learn carefully.
- sortir means to go out, leave, or take out.
- Used for both people (leaving, social outings) and things (being taken out).
- Conjugated irregularly; uses être in passé composé.
'Sortir' means 'to go out' or 'to leave'.
'Sortir' is used when people leave, go out socially, or when something is taken out.
'Sortir' is an irregular verb.
'sortir' uses 'être' as the auxiliary verb in passé composé.
The past participle of 'sortir' is 'sorti'.
'Sortir' is conjugated as sors, sors, sort... for je, tu, il and sortons, sortez, sortent for nous, vous, ils.
'sortir' can be used for people (going out) and objects (being taken out).