salir Preterite Conjugation
salir — to leave
The preterite of salir is regular: salí, saliste, salió, salimos, salisteis, salieron.
salir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when 'salir' represents a completed action in the past, like leaving a room, going out on a specific date, or the sun rising at a certain time.
Notes on salir in the Preterite
In the preterite, salir follows the standard pattern for -ir verbs. Remember that 'salimos' is the same in both the present and preterite.
Example Sentences
Ayer salí del trabajo a las seis.
Yesterday I left work at six.
yo
¿A qué hora saliste de casa?
What time did you leave the house?
tú
El sol salió a las siete de la mañana.
The sun came out at seven in the morning.
él/ella/usted
Mis amigos salieron de fiesta anoche.
My friends went out partying last night.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Yo saligo.
Correct: Yo salí.
Why: Learners often confuse the present tense 'go' irregularity with the preterite, which is regular.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: salgo
The present of salir is irregular only in the 'yo' form: salgo.
Imperfect
yo: salía
The imperfect of salir is regular: salía, salías, salía, salíamos, salíais, salían.
Future
yo: saldré
The future of salir uses the irregular stem 'saldr-': saldré, saldrás, saldrá...
Conditional
yo: saldría
The conditional of salir uses the irregular stem 'saldr-': saldría, saldrías, saldría...
Present Subjunctive
yo: salga
The present subjunctive of salir uses the 'salg-' stem: salga, salgas, salga...
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: saliera
The imperfect subjunctive of salir uses the 'salier-' stem: saliera, salieras, saliera...
Affirmative Imperative
yo: sal
The affirmative command for salir has a very short 'tú' form: sal.
Negative Imperative
yo: no salgas
The negative imperative of salir always uses the 'salg-' stem: no salgas, no salga...