partir

Partir is a verb found in several Romance languages, most prominently French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Its core meanings relate to leaving or departing, though in Spanish and Portuguese it can also mean to split, divide, or break something. The precise sense depends on the language and the phrase in which it appears.

Etymology and scope

The word derives from Latin partire, related to pars, part- meaning “part.” Over time, the verb broadened to cover both leaving and splitting actions in various Romance languages, producing several cognates with related but distinct uses.

Conjugation by language

French: partir is irregular. Je pars, tu pars, il part, nous partons, vous partez, ils partent. The past participle is parti (with agreement in gender and number in compound tenses, e.g., je suis parti(e)). Examples: Nous partons demain. Elle part de Paris.

Spanish: partir is a regular -ir verb in the present tense, with yo parto, tú partes, él parte, nosotros partimos, vosotros partís, ellos parten. The past participle is partido. Examples: Parto temprano. Partimos de la casa. La pizza se partió en dos.

Portuguese: partir is a regular -ir verb in the present tense, with eu parto, tu partes, ele parte, nós partimos, vós partís, eles partem. The past participle is partido. Examples: Parto amanhã. Partimos do Brasil. A fruta foi partida ao meio.

Other notes

In all three languages, partir can combine with prepositions to form useful phrases: French partir de indicates departure from a place (partir de zéro = start from zero; partir en voyage = set off on a trip). Spanish and Portuguese use partir de similarly to mean “to start from” or “to derive from.” Partir also appears in idioms and intransitive constructions that emphasize breaking or dividing in addition to leaving.