How To Use Salir In Spanish
Easy meanings, present tense forms, and real-life patterns for saying leave, go out, and a couple of sneaky extras Spanish likes to throw at you.
The Spanish verb salir usually means to leave or to go out. Nice and useful. Also mildly annoying, because it is irregular in the yo form: salgo.
The good news is that beginners use salir all the time in everyday Spanish: leaving the house, going out with friends, leaving work, going out to eat, and talking about how things turned out.
Yak Tip
Think of salir as your go-to verb for moving out of a place. If you are leaving somewhere, salir is probably lurking nearby, waiting to be useful.
What Salir Means
| Spanish | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| salir | to leave | Salgo de casa a las siete. — I leave home at seven. |
| salir | to go out | Salimos cada noche. — We go out every night. |
| salir bien | to turn out well | El examen salió bien. — The exam turned out well. |
| salir mal | to turn out badly | La receta salió mal. — The recipe turned out badly. |
The first two meanings are the big ones for beginners. Learn those first. Then grab salir bien and salir mal, because Spanish loves using them in real life.
Present Tense Of Salir
Here is the present tense you will use the most in Mexican Spanish. Notice the oddball form salgo. One weird form, then the rest calm down a bit.
| Pronoun | Form | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | salgo | I leave / I go out | Salgo ahora. — I’m leaving now. |
| tú | sales | you leave / you go out | ¿Sales hoy? — Are you leaving today? |
| él / ella / usted | sale | he / she leaves; you leave | Ella sale del trabajo a las seis. — She leaves work at six. |
| nosotros | salimos | we leave / we go out | Salimos a cenar los viernes. — We go out to dinner on Fridays. |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | salen | they leave; you all leave | Ustedes salen mañana. — You all leave tomorrow. |
In Mexican Spanish, ustedes is the normal way to say you all. In Spain, you will also hear vosotros salís.
Why Is It Salgo?
Salir is one of those verbs with a -go form in the first person singular: yo salgo. You just memorize that chunk. Do not try to argue with it. Spanish will not apologize.
The Most Useful Patterns With Salir
| Pattern | English Meaning | Example 1 | Example 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| salir de + place | to leave / come out of | Salgo de la oficina a las cinco. — I leave the office at five. | Los niños salen de la escuela a las dos. — The kids leave school at two. |
| salir con + person | to go out with / to date | Salgo con mis amigos los sábados. — I go out with my friends on Saturdays. | Ana sale con Diego. — Ana is dating Diego. |
| salir a + infinitive | to go out to do something | Salimos a comer tacos. — We go out to eat tacos. | ¿Sales a correr en la mañana? — Do you go out for a run in the morning? |
| salir bien / mal | to turn out well / badly | La presentación salió bien. — The presentation turned out well. | El plan salió mal. — The plan turned out badly. |
| salir tarde / temprano | to leave late / early | Hoy salgo tarde. — Today I leave late. | Mañana salimos temprano. — Tomorrow we leave early. |
Rule To Remember
- Leaving a place? Use salir de.
- Going out with people? Use salir con.
- Going out to do something? Use salir a + infinitive.
- Talking about a result? Use salir bien or salir mal.
Common Real-Life Sentences With Salir
- ¿A qué hora sales? — What time do you leave?
- Salgo en cinco minutos. — I’m leaving in five minutes.
- ¿Van a salir esta noche? — Are you going out tonight?
- No puedo salir hoy. — I can’t go out today.
- Mi hermana sale con un chico de Monterrey. — My sister is dating a guy from Monterrey.
- Salimos a desayunar los domingos. — We go out for breakfast on Sundays.
- El vuelo sale a las ocho. — The flight leaves at eight.
- La foto salió borrosa. — The photo came out blurry.
- Todo salió perfecto. — Everything turned out perfect.
- Cuando salgas, mándame un mensaje. — When you leave, send me a message.
Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes
- Using ir when you mean leave a place.
Voy de la casa is not the idea here.
Use salgo de la casa — I leave the house. - Forgetting de with places.
Say sale de la oficina, not just sale la oficina. - Forgetting a before an action.
Say salimos a comer — we go out to eat. - Missing the irregular yo form.
It is salgo, not salo. Nice try, though. - Using vosotros in Mexico-focused Spanish.
In Mexican Spanish, use ustedes salen for you all leave.
Practice With Salir
Translate these into Spanish. No dramatic sighing allowed.
- I’m leaving now.
- We go out every Friday.
- What time do you leave work?
- María is dating Pablo.
- The recipe turned out well.
- They go out to eat tacos.
Show Answers
- Salgo ahora.
- Salimos todos los viernes.
- ¿A qué hora sales del trabajo?
- María sale con Pablo.
- La receta salió bien.
- Salen a comer tacos.
Quick Reference Summary
| Use | Spanish | English Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave a place | salir de | to leave | Salimos de casa temprano. — We leave home early. |
| Go out with someone | salir con | to go out with / date | Sale con Luis. — She’s dating Luis. |
| Go out to do something | salir a + infinitive | to go out to do something | Salgo a comprar pan. — I’m going out to buy bread. |
| Result | salir bien / mal | to turn out well / badly | Todo salió bien. — Everything turned out well. |
| Yo form | salgo | I leave / I go out | Salgo en un rato. — I’m leaving in a bit. |
Final Yak
If you remember just three things, make them these: salir means leave or go out, the yo form is salgo, and salir de, salir con, and salir a cover a huge chunk of real conversation. That is already a very solid win.
