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LeavevsQuit
"Leave" is to go away or abandon something; "quit" is to stop something permanently or to give up.
Side-by-side comparison
Leave
verboTo go away from a place, to abandon someone, or to leave a job. Broad and neutral.
I am leaving the office at 5pm today. See you tomorrow.
She left her husband after fifteen years of marriage.
Do not leave your bags unattended at the airport.
Quit
verboTo stop doing something permanently, a job, habit, or activity. Implies complete cessation.
He quit smoking after his doctor warned him about his health.
She quit her job to start her own business.
Do not quit, you are so close to finishing.
Common mistake
For habits and addictions only "quit" works: "quit smoking", "quit drinking". "I left smoking" does not exist. For jobs, both are possible but with nuance: "leave a job" = go away from it (movement), "quit a job" = actively resign (personal decision).
Trick to remember it
- •Stopping a habit or making an active decision? "Quit".
- •Talking about going away from a place or person? "Leave".
- •For physical places, only "leave": "I left the building."
Quick rule
- •"Leave" = go away from (place, person, job).
- •"Quit" = permanently stop by own decision (habits, job).
Did you know?
"Quit" in American English is an invariant verb: quit / quit / quit (present, past, past participle). In British English "quitted" is also used as a regular past: "she quitted her job last month." "Quitter" (someone who gives up) is one of the mildest insults in American English, implying a lack of perseverance and determination. "Do not be a quitter" is a classic motivational phrase in sports and business culture. "Quit while you're ahead" (stop when you are winning) is a wise idiom: leave something before your luck changes. And "the quit rate" (resignation rate) is an economic indicator analysts use to measure worker confidence in the labor market.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She _____ her job last month. She wanted to travel the world.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Please _____ your shoes at the door. We don't wear shoes inside the house.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
EndvsFinish
"End" is to stop occurring (event or situation); "finish" is to complete a task all the way through.
ForgetvsLeave
Both can translate to 'olvidar', but they point to very different things.
LivevsLeave
They look similar but mean very different things and are pronounced differently.
AbovevsOver
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy