sortir
/sɔʁ.tiʁ/
The English phrase "walk out" can be translated into French as sortir.
sortir is used to describe the physical act of leaving a room or a building. When you want to say that someone walked out of a specific place, you must use the preposition de after the verb.
Meaning: to leave suddenly, especially as a form of protest (verb)
Which one should you use?
While sortir describes the physical movement of leaving, if you are referring to a political or professional "walkout" in the sense of a strike, you should use the phrase faire grève.
How does it change in a sentence?
When sortir is used intransitively to mean "to go out" or "to leave", it uses the auxiliary verb être in compound tenses (e.g., est sorti).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /sɔʁ.tiʁ/.
Did you know?
- In a professional context, a 'walkout' or strike is called faire grève. The word grève originally referred to the sandy shores of ports where unemployed dockworkers would gather to protest.
- The phrase sortir de ses gonds literally means 'to come off one's hinges'. It is used to describe someone who has lost their temper and 'walked out' of their emotional control.
- The verb sortir shares an ancient root with the English word 'sort', as both stem from the idea of a lot or a fate being 'drawn out' or assigned.
Examples in context
- Comment as-tu pu sortir sans même dire au revoir ?How could you just walk out the door without saying goodbye?This sentence is useful for seeing how to use sortir when leaving a place.Tatoeba #1395683 by sacredceltic, translation #953325 by CK
- Je suis parti(e) de la réunionI walked out of the meeting
- Filons d'iciLet's walk out of here
- Ils vont sortir de la réunion en signe de protestation.They are going to walk out of the meeting as a form of protest.
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are discussing a heated company meeting.
- HugoLe patron était odieux, n'est-ce pas ?The boss was awful, wasn't he?
- EmmaOui, j'ai eu envie de sortir tout de suite.Yes, I wanted to walk out right then.
- HugoTu as bien fait de rester, Emma.You did the right thing by staying, Emma.
- EmmaJe sais, Hugo, mais c'était difficile.I know, Hugo, but it was difficult.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry sortir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sortir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
