salía
“salía” means “I/he/she/it used to leave/go out” in Spanish (Describing a repeated past habit or routine).
I/he/she/it used to leave/go out, I/he/she/it was leaving/going out
Also: I/he/she/it was coming out
📝 In Action
Todos los veranos, mi familia salía de vacaciones a la costa.
A1Every summer, my family used to go out on vacation to the coast.
Ella salía del cine cuando la llamaste.
A2She was leaving the movie theater when you called her.
El sol salía temprano en esa época del año.
B1The sun used to come out early at that time of year.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: salía
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence correctly uses 'salía' to describe a past routine?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼
The verb 'salir' comes from the Latin word *salīre*, which originally meant 'to jump' or 'to leap.' Over time, this evolved to mean 'to jump out' or 'to emerge,' giving us the modern Spanish meaning of 'to go out' or 'to leave.'
First recorded: Old Spanish (around the 10th-12th centuries)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'salía' have an accent mark?
The accent on the 'i' (sal**í**a) is necessary to ensure the 'i' and 'a' are pronounced as two separate syllables (sa-lí-a), not blended into one. This pattern is standard for almost all imperfect tense conjugations of -er and -ir verbs.
Is 'salía' used more for 'I' or 'he/she'?
It is used equally for 'yo' (I) and for 'él/ella/usted' (he/she/formal you). You must rely on the context or the subject pronoun to know who is performing the action.