départ
/de.paʁ/
In French, leaving is expressed by the noun départ.
The noun départ refers to the act of a departure or the moment of leaving. When you want to use a verb to express the action of leaving, you should use partir, which is a common and straightforward way to say 'to leave'. Other verbs include quitter, which emphasizes leaving a person or a place behind and is often used in professional contexts and filer, an informal way to say 'to scoot' or 'to take off'. To express taking formal leave in professional settings or when departing from an event, you can use the phrase prendre congé.
Which one should you use?
While départ is the noun for 'departure' or 'leaving', you must use the verb partir if you want to express the action of 'to leave' within a sentence.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium and Switzerland, laisser is used as an alternative to quitter to express leaving.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word départ is a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of départ is /de.paʁ/ and consists of two syllables.
Did you know?
- The informal verb filer originally meant 'to spin a thread'. It evolved to mean 'leaving' because it evokes the image of moving quickly and smoothly away.
- The verb quitter is used to describe both leaving a room and the act of ending a romantic relationship permanently.
- The word départ can be used to describe the very beginning of a race, whereas English speakers usually prefer the word 'start' for that specific context.
Examples in context
- Je suis sur le départ.I'll be leaving now.This sentence is useful for saying you are about to leave.Tatoeba #1679109 by sacredceltic, translation #1676738 by Spamster
- Il a repoussé son départ pour Hokkaido au mois prochain.He postponed leaving for Hokkaido until next month.This sentence shows how to describe postponing a departure for a specific destination.Tatoeba #133340 by nimfeo, translation #303726 by CK
- Je dois partir maintenant.I have to leave now.
- Je dois quitter le bureau plus tôt aujourd'hui.I have to leave the office earlier today.
- Je prends congé après cette réunion.I am taking leave after this meeting.
- Bon, je m'en vais maintenant.Well, I'm off now.
- Il faut que je file, j'ai un rendez-vous.I have to take off, I have an appointment.
- Je dois m'en aller chez moi.I have to leave for home.
- Le départ du train est prévu à midi.The train's departure is scheduled for noon.
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are at the train station.
- ManonTu connais l'heure de départ ?Do you know the departure time?
- NathanOui, le train part dans dix minutes.Yes, the train leaves in ten minutes.
- ManonVite, préparons notre départ !Quick, let's get ready to leave!
- NathanJe suis prêt, allons-y.I am ready, let's go.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry départ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
