French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "partir" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce partir in French?

partir is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /paʁ.tiʁ/. It means “to leave / to go away.” par-TEER — open "ah", throat "r", then a pure "ee" and another throat "r" that you do pronounce.

par-TEER — open "ah", throat "r", then a pure "ee" and another throat "r" that you do pronounce.

partir /paʁ.tiʁ/

par-TIR, lift on the second syllable. This verb shares its whole rhythm and ending with "sortir", "dormir" and "servir", so they can be drilled as a set.

Listen: partir

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Sound it out

par An unaspirated "p", an open "ah", then the uvular "r". The "ah" must keep its own shape — do not let the "r" swallow it the way English does in "park".

tir The -ir infinitive ending: "t", a tense "ee", and a fully pronounced uvular "r".

Hear it in a sentence

Je pars demain matin.

I'm leaving tomorrow morning.

Listen: Je pars demain matin.

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"Je pars demain matin" uses "pars" /paʁ/, with the "s" silent, so the conjugated form is a single syllable. "Demain" ends in the nasal /ɛ̃/ with a silent "n", and "matin" does the same, so the sentence closes with two identical nasal vowels in a row: duh-MAN ma-TAN. French does not need a preposition before "demain".

Where English speakers slip

The first vowel is the giveaway: English speakers say "par" as in "partner", where the "r" absorbs the vowel completely. In French the "ah" is fully formed first, and only then does the throat make the "r". The second habit is dropping the final "r" after learning about silent consonants — but -ir infinitives always keep it, so the word ends on a real rasp.