FrenchConjugationImparfait

Partir (to leave) · Imparfait

By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated May 22, 2026

Partir in the French imparfait is: je partais, tu partais, il/elle/on partait, nous partions, vous partiez, ils/elles partaient. The imparfait of partir is regular from 'partons' → 'part-'. Common uses: habitual past departures, ongoing leaving (interrupted action), background descriptions.

partir conjugation in the Imparfait
To Leave	Partir
I used to leave	je partais
you used to leave	tu partais
he/she used to leave	il/elle/on partait
we used to leave	nous partions
you used to leave	vous partiez
they used to leave	ils/elles partaient

Examples

Partir (to leave) in context

Sentences that use partir in the imparfait. Tap each to hear it.

Chaque matin je partais à huit heures.

Every morning I used to leave at eight.

Tu partais toujours en avance.

You always used to leave early.

Elle partait souvent en voyage seule.

She often used to travel alone.

Nous partions en vacances chaque été.

We used to go on vacation every summer.

Vous partiez sans prévenir avant.

You used to leave without warning before.

Ils partaient tôt pour éviter le trafic.

They used to leave early to avoid traffic.

Tip

Working with the imparfait

The imparfait paints the background of a past scene: weather, age, habits, descriptions, ongoing actions that get interrupted. "Il faisait nuit" (it was nighttime), "j'avais cinq ans" (I was five years old), "je marchais quand tu m'as appelé" (I was walking when you called me). The imparfait is almost completely regular — the stem comes from the nous form of the present (nous parlons → je parlais), with only être being truly irregular (j'étais). The contrast with passé composé is the single most important past-tense distinction in French: imparfait = background or habitual; passé composé = completed event.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How do you conjugate partir in the imparfait?

Partir is regular in the imparfait: je partais, tu partais, il/elle/on partait, nous partions, vous partiez, ils/elles partaient. Stem 'part-' from nous form.

When do I use 'je partais' instead of 'je suis parti'?

Use 'je partais' for habitual or ongoing past leaving: 'chaque jour, je partais à 8h' (every day, I used to leave at 8). Use 'je suis parti' for a specific completed departure: 'hier, je suis parti à 8h' (yesterday, I left at 8). 'Je partais quand…' (I was leaving when…) is the classic interrupted-action structure.

What does 'je partais te dire' mean?

'Je partais te dire' = 'I was about to tell you' — uses the imparfait of partir as the past tense of 'aller + infinitive' for unrealized intentions. Equivalent to 'j'allais te dire'. The imparfait of partir specifically conveys that you were on the verge of leaving / about to do something.