Sortir — to go out | French Verb Chart
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📚 This is the overview. « sortir » is taught level by level — pick your CEFR level below for a full lesson (explanation, pronunciation, exercises & games).
Présent (Indicatif)
- je sorsI go out
- tu sorsyou go out
- il / elle sorthe / she goes out
- nous sortonswe go out
- vous sortezyou go out
- ils / elles sortentthey go out
Passé composé (Indicatif)
- je suis sorti(e)I went out
- tu es sorti(e)you went out
- il / elle est sorti(e)he / she went out
- nous sommes sorti(e)swe went out
- vous êtes sorti(e)(s)you went out
- ils / elles sont sorti(e)sthey went out
Imparfait (Indicatif)
- je sortaisI was going out
- tu sortaisyou were going out
- il / elle sortaithe / she was going out
- nous sortionswe were going out
- vous sortiezyou were going out
- ils / elles sortaientthey were going out
Futur simple (Indicatif)
- je sortiraiI will go out
- tu sortirasyou will go out
- il / elle sortirahe / she will go out
- nous sortironswe will go out
- vous sortirezyou will go out
- ils / elles sortirontthey will go out
Conditionnel présent
- je sortiraisI would go out
- tu sortiraisyou would go out
- il / elle sortiraithe / she would go out
- nous sortirionswe would go out
- vous sortiriezyou would go out
- ils / elles sortiraientthey would go out
Subjonctif présent
- que je sortethat I go out
- que tu sortesthat you go out
- qu’il / elle sortethat he / she go out
- que nous sortionsthat we go out
- que vous sortiezthat you go out
- qu’ils / elles sortentthat they go out
Impératif, Participe & Infinitif
- sortirinfinitive
- sortantpresent participle
- en sortantgerund (gérondif)
- sortipast participle
- sors · sortons · sortezimperative
- êtreauxiliary in compound tenses
📈 « sortir » from A1 to native
The same verb grows with your level — from your first words to real native slang.
🎬 The 20-second version
Five phrases with « sortir » — guess before the reveal. Practise with the free games → Open this short as a page — transcript included →
📘 How to use Sortir
- To go out / leave a place: je sors ce soir (I’m going out tonight), sortir de la maison.
- Takes être in the passé composé… EXCEPT with a direct object: j’ai sorti le chien (I took the dog out) — with avoir!
- Same conjugation family as partir and dormir: drop the last stem consonant in the singular (je sors / nous sortons).
🔑 Key forms
🔊 Common expressions
🇬🇧 Sortir in plain English: the going-out family
Sortir — to go out, to exit, to take out — belongs to the -ir family that drops its stem consonant in the singular: je sors, tu sors, il sort (no t sound), then restores it in the plural — nous sortons, vous sortez, ils sortent. Same skeleton as partir (je pars/nous partons), dormir (je dors/nous dormons), servir and sentir: learn the drop-and-restore once, own five verbs. The past splits by meaning — the detail that makes sortir a favourite exam question: intransitive (going out) takes être with agreement, « elle est sortie hier soir »; transitive (taking something out) switches to avoir, « elle a sorti la poubelle » (she took out the bin). One verb, both auxiliaries, meaning deciding — the rule in its purest form.
Usage is Friday-night French: « on sort ce soir ? » (are we going out?), « je sors avec des amis », and the relationship sense — « ils sortent ensemble » (they’re dating) — which no textbook translation quite prepares you for. The futur je sortirai and conditionnel je sortirais behave; the subjonctif que je sorte appears after il faut que when someone insists you leave the house. Drill the family together in the present and the être-past — je sors, je suis sorti; je pars, je suis parti; je dors, j’ai dormi (dormir stays with avoir — sleeping moves nobody) — and the whole -ir wing of movement conjugates itself.
FAQ
Is the passé composé of sortir with être or avoir?
Être when going out (je suis sorti), avoir when taking something out (j’ai sorti les clés). Meaning picks the auxiliary — the classic exam pair.
Which verbs conjugate like sortir?
Partir, dormir, servir, sentir, mentir — drop the stem consonant in the singular (je pars, je dors), restore it in the plural (nous partons, nous dormons).
What does « sortir ensemble » mean?
To date / be a couple: « ils sortent ensemble depuis un an ». Going out, upgraded to a relationship status.
🔊 Example sentences
✍️ Practice
Ils ___ tous les samedis. (present)
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sortent
Hier, elle ___ (sortir) tard. (passé composé — être + agreement)
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est sortie
J’___ (sortir) les poubelles. (with an object → avoir!)
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ai sorti
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🎯 More practice — conjugation drill — all six tenses
je ___ (Sortir — present)
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sors
tu ___ (Sortir — passé composé)
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es sorti(e)
il ___ (Sortir — imperfect)
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sortait
nous ___ (Sortir — future)
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sortirons
vous ___ (Sortir — conditional)
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sortiriez
Go further: this chart is one small piece — get the full picture in our guide Master the present tense — the full beginner guide.
Sortir conjugation FAQ
What is the present tense of sortir?
je sors, tu sors, il / elle sort, nous sortons, vous sortez, ils / elles sortent. Full charts for every tense are above, each form with audio.
What is the past participle of sortir?
sorti(e) — the passé composé is « je suis sorti(e) ». Sortir uses être as its auxiliary verb. Because it takes être, the past participle agrees: elle est sortie, ils sont sorti(e)s.
How do you say sortir in the future tense?
« je sortirai » — the future stem never changes across persons, only the endings do.
What does sortir mean in English?
to go out. It is one of the essential French verbs — drill the present first, then the passé composé; those two tenses carry most conversations.
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🎬 All seven CEFR levels, end to end
« sortir » at every CEFR level — the tense, its forms and the mechanic that makes it stick. Practise it with the free games →