Here's a breakdown:
* sortait: This is the imperfect tense of the verb "sortir," which means "to go out" or "to come out."
* du: This is a contraction of "de le" or "de la," meaning "of the."
Therefore, "sortait du" is used to describe an action happening in the past, specifically the act of coming out of something.
Example:
* French: "Il sortait du magasin."
* English: "He was coming out of the store."