French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "sortir" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce sortir in French?

sortir is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /sɔʁ.tiʁ/. It means “to go out.” sor-TEER — two throat "r"s, and unlike -er verbs, the final one is fully pronounced.

sor-TEER — two throat "r"s, and unlike -er verbs, the final one is fully pronounced.

sortir /sɔʁ.tiʁ/

sor-TIR, weight on the second syllable. Note the contrast with -er verbs like "entrer": both have an "r" in the ending, but -ir keeps it audible and -er does not.

Listen: sortir

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Sound it out

sor A hissing "s", a short open "o" as in "cot", then the uvular "r". Keep the vowel clean — the "r" comes after it, not merged into it.

tir An unaspirated "t", a pure "ee", then another uvular "r". This is the -ir infinitive ending, and its "r" is always sounded.

Hear it in a sentence

On sort dîner ce soir.

We're going out for dinner tonight.

Listen: On sort dîner ce soir.

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"On sort dîner ce soir" uses "on" for "we", the conjugated "sort" /sɔʁ/ with a silent "t", and then an infinitive to express purpose — going out in order to dine. The circumflex on "dîner" marks a lost "s" from Old French. "Ce soir" means "tonight", and "soir" has the same "wa" plus throat "r" ending as "voir".

Where English speakers slip

The two "r"s tempt English speakers into curling the tongue back twice, producing "sorr-TEER" with both vowels bent out of shape. Both should be made in the throat, leaving the vowels intact — a clean "o" then a clean "ee". Learners also over-apply the -er rule and drop the final "r", saying "sor-TEE", which is a different word shape entirely.