salir
/sah-LEER/
to leave
Visualizing 'salir' as the action of physically exiting or leaving a location.
salir(Verb)
📝 In Action
Salgo de casa a las ocho de la mañana.
A1I leave home at eight in the morning.
¿Quieres salir a cenar esta noche?
A1Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?
El tren sale de la estación en cinco minutos.
A2The train leaves the station in five minutes.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Use 'de' for 'from'
When you say you're leaving from a specific place, you always need to use 'de'. For example, 'Salgo de la oficina' (I'm leaving from the office).
The Irregular 'yo' Form
Watch out for the present tense! For 'I leave,' it's not 'salo,' it's 'salgo.' This 'g' also shows up in other forms, like commands ('salga') and wishes ('espero que salgas').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Using 'Salir' vs. 'Dejar'
Mistake: "Dejo la casa a las 8."
Correction: Salgo de la casa a las 8. Use 'salir' when a person is leaving a place. Use 'dejar' when you leave an object somewhere, like 'Dejo mis llaves en la mesa' (I leave my keys on the table).
⭐ Usage Tips
Going out with friends
To say you're 'going out with friends,' you use 'salir con amigos'. This is a super common phrase for making plans.
Depicting 'salir' when something 'turns out' well, showing a successful final product.
salir(Verb)
📝 In Action
Al final, todo salió bien.
B1In the end, everything turned out well.
La foto salió un poco borrosa.
B1The photo came out a little blurry.
La cena nos salió bastante cara.
B2The dinner ended up being quite expensive for us.
💡 Grammar Points
Talking About Results
This use of 'salir' is often in the third person (sale, salió, saldrá) because you're talking about 'it' (the plan, the photo, the event) turning out a certain way.
⭐ Usage Tips
Describing Unplanned Costs
Use 'salir por' or add a person ('me/te/le salió...') to say how much something unexpectedly cost. For example, 'La reparación me salió por 200 euros' (The repair cost me 200 euros).
Illustrating 'salir' in the sense of the sun coming out or appearing in the sky.
salir(Verb)
📝 In Action
Mira, ¡ya salió la luna!
A2Look, the moon is already out!
Mi nombre no salió en la lista.
B1My name didn't appear on the list.
¿Cuándo sale la nueva temporada de la serie?
B1When does the new season of the show come out?
⭐ Usage Tips
The Sun 'Rises'
While you can say 'el sol se levanta', it's much more common and natural to say 'el sol sale' to mean 'the sun rises'.
Representing the common romantic meaning of 'salir con alguien'—to date someone.
📝 In Action
Ana está saliendo con un chico de su clase.
B1Ana is dating a guy from her class.
Ellos salieron durante dos años antes de casarse.
B2They went out for two years before getting married.
💡 Grammar Points
Always Use 'con'
To talk about dating, you must use 'salir con' followed by the person. 'Estoy saliendo con María' means 'I'm dating María'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Dating vs. Going out with friends
Mistake: "Context confusion."
Correction: The phrase 'salir con...' can mean dating or just going out platonically. The context tells you which is which. 'Salgo con mis amigos' means going out with friends. 'Estoy saliendo con Juan' almost always means dating.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
preterite
imperfect
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: salir
Question 1 of 3
Which sentence correctly uses 'salir' to mean 'it turned out well'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between 'salir' and 'irse'?
They both mean 'to leave', but 'irse' often has a stronger sense of finality or leaving for good, like 'Me voy de la fiesta' (I'm leaving the party now). 'Salir' is more neutral, simply meaning to exit or go out, like 'Salgo de casa a las 8' (I leave home at 8). You can often use them interchangeably, but 'irse' adds a little more emphasis on the act of departing.
How can I remember the irregular forms of 'salir'?
Think of the 'G' sound! The 'yo' form in the present is 'salgo'. This 'g' comes back in the present subjunctive ('salga', 'salgas'...) and in formal commands ('salga usted'). For the future and conditional tenses, the 'i' drops out and a 'd' appears: 'saldré' (I will leave) and 'saldría' (I would leave).