Weekends in Paris are made for exploring — and in this lesson you'll get all the vocabulary you need to plan and talk about outings. You'll learn how to suggest activities, express preferences, and use the irregular verbs 'sortir', 'partir', and 'dormir'. Camille calls Lucas to organise a perfect Parisian Saturday: a museum, a stroll along the Seine, and an outdoor concert. Let's make plans!
Learning tips
- The verb 'sortir' (to go out) is extremely common in everyday French. Notice that it shares its conjugation pattern with 'partir' (to leave) and 'dormir' (to sleep) — these three irregular -ir verbs drop their stem consonant in the singular but keep it in the plural.
- To suggest an activity, French speakers often use the near future: 'On va visiter le musée ?' or simply 'On va au musée ?' The rising intonation turns a statement into an invitation.
- The phrase 'se promener' (to go for a walk) is a reflexive verb — don't forget the reflexive pronoun: je me promène, tu te promènes, il se promène, nous nous promenons.
- 'Dehors' (outside, outdoors) is a handy adverb. Notice it has no article — you can use it directly after a verb: 'Il y a un concert dehors.'
- Practise the three irregular verbs as a group: 'je sors, je pars, je dors' — they all lose the stem consonant (t/rt/rm) in the singular.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| le football | football (soccer) |
| courir | to run |
| nager | to swim |
| le match | match, game |
| la natation | swimming (the sport) |
| la course | running, race |
| faire du sport | to do sport / to exercise |
| gagner | to win |
| perdre | to lose |
| l'équipe | team |
Dialog
Camille calls Lucas from home to plan their weekend together. She uses several near-future constructions and the verbs 'sortir', 'visiter', and 'découvrir' to shape their itinerary. Pay attention to how Lucas and Camille negotiate plans and express agreement.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| sortir | /sɔʁ.tiʁ/ | to go out | Irregular -ir verb (pattern: sortir/partir/dormir). Je sors, tu sors, il sort, nous sortons, vous sortez, ils sortent. |
| se promener | /sə pʁɔm.ne/ | to go for a walk, to stroll | Reflexive (pronominal) verb. Always used with a reflexive pronoun: je me promène, tu te promènes, etc. The stem vowel changes: promène vs promenons. |
| visiter | /vi.zi.te/ | to visit (a place) | Regular -er verb. Used for visiting places (museums, cities). To visit a person, use 'rendre visite à': 'Je rends visite à mes parents.' |
| découvrir | /de.ku.vʁiʁ/ | to discover | Irregular -ir verb. Conjugates like 'couvrir': je découvre, tu découvres, il découvre, nous découvrons. |
| le week-end | /lə wi.kɛnd/ | weekend | Masculine noun. Borrowed from English. 'Le week-end' is standard; 'en week-end' means 'for the weekend' or 'on a weekend trip'. |
| le film | /lə film/ | film, movie | Masculine noun. 'Voir un film' = to see a film. 'Aller au cinéma voir un film' = to go to the cinema to see a film. |
| le concert | /lə kɔ̃.sɛʁ/ | concert | Masculine noun. 'Aller à un concert' = to go to a concert. Note: 'aller à un' (not 'aller au') because 'concert' is a count noun here. |
| le musée | /lə my.ze/ | museum | Masculine noun. Paris has over 130 museums — including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, and the Centre Pompidou. |
| dehors | /də.ɔʁ/ | outside, outdoors | Adverb. No article needed. Opposite: 'dedans' (inside). 'Il y a un concert dehors' = there's a concert outside. |
| seul | /sœl/ | alone, on one's own | Adjective/adverb. Agrees with the subject when used as an adjective: 'Il est seul' (m) / 'Elle est seule' (f). Used as an adverb it is invariable: 'Elle sort seul(e) parfois.' |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| l' l'exposition | /lɛk.spo.zi.sjɔ̃/ | exhibition | Feminine noun. Very common in Paris — 'une exposition temporaire' (a temporary exhibition) vs 'une exposition permanente'. |
| la balade | /la ba.lad/ | walk, stroll | Feminine noun. More casual than 'la promenade'. 'Faire une balade' = to go for a stroll (very common in spoken French). |
| le spectacle | /lə spɛk.takl/ | show, performance, spectacle | Masculine noun. Broader than 'concert' — covers theatre, circus, live music, etc. |
| la sortie | /la sɔʁ.ti/ | outing, trip out | Feminine noun. From the verb 'sortir'. 'Une sortie entre amis' = a night out with friends. |
| le rendez-vous | /lə ʁɑ̃.de.vu/ | appointment, meeting, (romantic) date | Masculine noun. Literally 'rendez-vous' (render yourself). Used for doctor's appointments, meetings, and dates alike. |
| s'amuser | /sa.my.ze/ | to have fun, to enjoy oneself | Reflexive verb. Je m'amuse, tu t'amuses, il s'amuse... A key phrase: 'On va s'amuser !' = We're going to have fun! |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| se promener le long de la Seine | to walk along the Seine |
| aller à un concert | to go to a concert |
| sortir avec des amis | to go out with friends |
Grammar: Present tense of 'sortir' — irregular -ir verbs (sortir, partir, dormir)
| Sujet | Sortir | Partir | Dormir |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | sors | pars | dors |
| tu | sors | pars | dors |
| il/elle/on | sort | part | dort |
| nous | sortons | partons | dormons |
| vous | sortez | partez | dormez |
| ils/elles | sortent | partent | dorment |
This lesson focuses on a group of irregular -ir verbs that share the same conjugation pattern: 'sortir' (to go out), 'partir' (to leave), and 'dormir' (to sleep). In the singular forms (je, tu, il/elle/on), the final consonant of the stem is dropped: je sors, tu sors, il sort — not 'je sortis'. In the plural forms (nous, vous, ils/elles), the full stem is restored: nous sortons, vous sortez, ils sortent. The same logic applies to 'partir' (je pars, tu pars, il part / nous partons, vous partez, ils partent) and 'dormir' (je dors, tu dors, il dort / nous dormons, vous dormez, ils dorment). These three verbs appear constantly in everyday French conversation — 'Je sors ce soir', 'Il part en vacances demain', 'Elle dort bien'. Memorise them as a trio and you'll immediately recognise the pattern when you encounter similar verbs like 'mentir' (to lie), 'sentir' (to smell/feel), and 'servir' (to serve).
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct French word from the lesson vocabulary.
- Je veux ce soir — il fait beau ! (sortir)(to leave the house and go somewhere)
- On va le musée du Louvre samedi. (visiter)(to go and see a place — use with a museum)
- Il aime dans le parc le dimanche. (se promener)(to stroll — reflexive verb)
- Elle préfère regarder un à la maison. (film)(you watch this at the cinema — masculine noun)
- Je n'aime pas travailler . J'aime être avec des amis. (seul)(without company — adjective/adverb)
Grammar Application
Fill in the blank with the correct present-tense form of the verb in brackets.
- Je ce soir avec mes amis. (sortir)(je — sortir)
- Tu à quelle heure demain ? (partir)(tu — partir)
- Nous tard le week-end. (dormir)(nous — dormir)
- Ils en vacances demain. (partir)(ils — partir)
- Vous souvent au concert ? (sortir)(vous — sortir)
Translate into French
Translate each English sentence into French using vocabulary and structures from this lesson.
- I want to visit a museum this weekend.
- We like to walk along the Seine.
- She goes out alone sometimes.
- There is a concert outside tonight.
- He discovers Paris every weekend.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write your own French sentence about a weekend outing, using at least one verb from this lesson (sortir, visiter, se promener, or découvrir).
Takeaway
Three key irregular verbs — sortir, partir, dormir — all follow the same trick: drop the stem's final consonant in the singular (je sors, je pars, je dors) and keep it in the plural (nous sortons, nous partons, nous dormons).