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FRENCH VERB

quitter

to leave

  • #135 most used
  • Regular -er verb
  • Past participle: quitté
  • Present participle: quittant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I leave
  2. tu you leave
  3. il, elle, on he/she leaves
  4. nous we leave
  5. vous you leave
  6. ils, elles they leave

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I left
  2. tu you left
  3. il, elle, on he/she left
  4. nous we left
  5. vous you left
  6. ils, elles they left

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to leave
  2. tu you used to leave
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to leave
  4. nous we used to leave
  5. vous you used to leave
  6. ils, elles they used to leave

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will leave
  2. tu you will leave
  3. il, elle, on he/she will leave
  4. nous we will leave
  5. vous you will leave
  6. ils, elles they will leave

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would leave
  2. tu you would leave
  3. il, elle, on he/she would leave
  4. nous we would leave
  5. vous you would leave
  6. ils, elles they would leave

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I leave
  2. tu (that) you leave
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she leave
  4. nous (that) we leave
  5. vous (that) you leave
  6. ils, elles (that) they leave

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu leave!
  2. nous leave! (let’s)
  3. vous leave! (plural, or formal)

How to use quitter

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Je quitte le bureau à dix-sept heures trente.

    I leave the office at half past five.

  2. Past

    Ils ont quitté Paris pour la campagne.

    They left Paris for the countryside.

  3. Imperfect

    Quand je quittais la maison, il pleuvait encore.

    When I was leaving the house, it was still raining.

  4. Future

    Je quitterai mon travail en décembre.

    I'll leave my job in December.

  5. Conditional

    Je ne quitterais jamais cette ville.

    I'd never leave this town.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut qu'on quitte l'hôtel avant onze heures.

    We have to leave the hotel before eleven.

  7. Imperative

    Ne quittez pas, je vous passe le docteur.

    Hold on, I'll put you through to the doctor.

Good to know

  • Quitter takes a direct object: quitter Lyon, quitter son travail.
  • "Ne quittez pas" on the phone is "hold on".

Where you hear quitter

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je quitte l'école à neuf heures. I leave the school at nine o'clock.
  • J'ai quitté Chicago en été. I left Chicago in summer.
  • Je vais quitter la maison à cinq heures. I'm going to leave the house at five o'clock.
14
On the Phone

Beginner Level 2 · Ne quittez pas.

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -er verb.