sale
“sale” means “he/she/it leaves” in Spanish. It has 6 different meanings depending on context:
he/she/it leaves, he/she/it goes out
Also: you leave/go out
📝 In Action
El tren sale a las ocho de la mañana.
A1The train leaves at eight in the morning.
Mi hermana sale con sus amigos todos los viernes.
A1My sister goes out with her friends every Friday.
¿Usted sale tarde del trabajo hoy?
A2Do you (formal) leave work late today?
it comes out, it appears
Also: it rises, it's released
📝 In Action
El sol sale por el este.
A2The sun comes out (rises) in the east.
Mi nombre no sale en la lista.
B1My name doesn't appear on the list.
¿Cuándo sale la nueva temporada de la serie?
B1When is the new season of the show released?
it turns out, it ends up
📝 In Action
La foto salió un poco borrosa.
B1The photo turned out a little blurry.
Al final, todo salió bien.
A2In the end, everything turned out well.
Espero que la reunión salga como esperamos.
B2I hope the meeting turns out as we expect.
it costs
📝 In Action
¿En cuánto sale el boleto de avión a Madrid?
B1How much does the plane ticket to Madrid cost?
Arreglar el coche me salió carísimo.
B2Fixing the car cost me a fortune.
he/she dates, he/she is going out with
📝 In Action
Laura sale con un compañero de su clase.
B1Laura is dating a classmate.
Ellos salieron por dos años antes de casarse.
B2They dated for two years before getting married.
Okay!, Deal!
Also: Alright!, You got it!
📝 In Action
—¿Nos vemos en el cine a las siete? —¡Sale!
B1—Shall we meet at the movies at seven? —Okay! / Deal!
—Tráeme un café, por favor. —Sale, en un momento.
B1—Bring me a coffee, please. —You got it, in a moment.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: sale
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'sale' to mean 'costs'?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb 'salīre', which meant 'to jump' or 'to leap'. Over time, the meaning shifted from 'jumping out' of a place to simply 'going out' or 'leaving' it.
First recorded: Around the 10th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'sale' and 'se va'?
They both can mean 'he/she leaves', but they feel a bit different. 'Sale' is a simple statement of fact: 'Él sale de la oficina' (He leaves the office). 'Se va' often implies a more permanent or definite departure, like 'Él se va de la ciudad' (He's leaving the city for good). Think of 'sale' as 'goes out' and 'se va' as 'goes away'.
Is 'sale' for 'okay' used everywhere in the Spanish-speaking world?
No, it's very regional. It's extremely common in Mexico and some parts of Central America. In Spain, you would almost always hear '¡Vale!' to mean 'okay'. In other places, like Argentina, you might hear 'Dale'.