Spanish grammar · Intermediate
Salir Conjugation: Every Tense with Examples
Salir means to leave / to go out / to date. Yo present is the irregular salgo (-go pattern). Future / conditional drop the i: saldr-. Preterite and imperfect are fully regular -ir.
Salgo a las ocho.
I leave at eight.
What it is
Salir means to leave, to go out, or to date someone. Yo present is salgo (irregular -go). Future / conditional drop the i and add d: saldr- (saldré, saldría). Preterite (salí), imperfect (salía) are fully regular -ir.
In Salgo a las ocho (I leave at eight), salgo is the irregular yo form. Salir + time = depart at that time.
How to spot it
Yo present is salgo. Future / conditional use saldr-. Other tenses are fully regular -ir.
- ¿A qué hora sales? — What time do you leave?
- Salí temprano. — I left early.
- Saldremos a cenar. — We'll go out to dinner.
Salir con + person = to date someone. Salgo con María = I'm dating María.
Salir Conjugation Quick Reference
Salir at a glance, the most-used forms across tenses
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Subjunctive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | salgo | salí | salía | saldré | salga |
| tú | sales | saliste | salías | saldrás | salgas |
| él/ella/Ud. | sale | salió | salía | saldrá | salga |
| nosotros | salimos | salimos | salíamos | saldremos | salgamos |
| vosotros | salís | salisteis | salíais | saldréis | salgáis |
| ellos/Uds. | salen | salieron | salían | saldrán | salgan |
Common Salir Conjugation Examples in Spanish
Salir covers leaving, going out socially, dating, and a few outcome / result idioms:
Leaving / Departing
- Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.
- I leave the office at five.
- El tren sale en diez minutos.
- The train leaves in ten minutes.
- Salimos temprano.
- We left early.
Salir de + place = leave from that place. Salir + time = depart at that time.
Going Out (Socially)
- Salimos a cenar el sábado.
- We're going out to dinner Saturday.
- Salgamos esta noche.
- Let's go out tonight.
- Salen mucho.
- They go out a lot.
Salir is the default for going out socially, to dinner, drinks, parties.
Dating (Salir Con)
- Salgo con Pedro.
- I'm dating Pedro.
- ¿Sales con alguien?
- Are you dating anyone?
- Salieron por dos años.
- They dated for two years.
Salir con + person = to date. The con makes it dating, not just going out with.
Outcomes / Idioms
- Todo salió bien.
- Everything turned out well.
- El examen me salió mal.
- The exam went badly for me.
- Sale caro.
- It comes out expensive / it ends up costly.
Salir bien / mal = turn out well / badly. Salir caro / barato = end up expensive / cheap.
How to Conjugate Salir Across Tenses
Present, Yo Salgo (-Go Pattern)
Yo form is salgo. Other forms regular -ir: sales, sale, salimos, salís, salen.
Yo salgo, tú sales, él sale, nosotros salimos, vosotros salís, ellos salen.
I leave, you leave, he leaves, we leave, you all leave, they leave.
Same -go pattern as tener (tengo), poner (pongo), hacer (hago), venir (vengo).
Preterite, Regular -ir
Fully regular -ir preterite: salí, saliste, salió, salimos, salisteis, salieron.
Salí ayer. Salieron tarde.
I left yesterday. They left late.
No irregularity in preterite, same pattern as comí, viví.
Future / Conditional, Stem Saldr-
Future and conditional drop the i and add d: saldré, saldrás, saldrá; saldría, saldrías, saldría.
Saldré mañana. Saldría contigo.
I'll leave tomorrow. I'd go out with you.
Same saldr- / tendr- / pondr- / vendr- pattern as tener / poner / venir.
Subjunctive, Salg- Stem
Present subjunctive built from salgo: salga, salgas, salga, salgamos, salgáis, salgan.
Espero que salgas pronto.
I hope you leave / get out soon.
Sal (tú command, irregular short form) and salga (Ud.) are the everyday leave forms.
Common Mistakes with Salir Conjugation
Incorrect: Yo salo a las cinco. — I leave at five. (wrong, yo form is salgo)
Correct: Yo salgo a las cinco. — I leave at five.
Salir's yo form is salgo (the -go family). Not salo.
Incorrect: Saliré mañana. — I'll leave tomorrow. (wrong, future drops i and adds d)
Correct: Saldré mañana. — I'll leave tomorrow.
Salir's future drops the i and inserts d: saldr-. Same pattern as tendré, pondré, vendré.
Incorrect: Salgo María. — I'm dating María. (wrong, dating needs con)
Correct: Salgo con María. — I'm dating María.
Salir con + person = to date someone. Without con, you're just saying I'm leaving María (which sounds like you're walking out on her).
Salir Across Every Tense
Two irregular spots: yo salgo (present), saldr- (future / conditional). Preterite and imperfect are fully regular.
Present (Yo Salgo)
Yo salgo; rest regular -ir.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
-go family: salgo, tengo, pongo, vengo, hago.
Preterite (Regular)
Fully regular -ir preterite.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Same pattern as viví, escribí, recibí.
Imperfect (Regular)
Regular -ir imperfect.
| yo |
| tú |
| él/ella/usted |
| nosotros |
| vosotros |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes |
Salía todos los viernes = I used to go out every Friday (habit).
Future, Conditional, Subjunctive
Future / conditional use saldr-. Subjunctive uses salg-.
| yo (future) |
| yo (conditional) |
| yo (present subjunctive) |
| yo (present perfect) |
Sal (tú command, irregular short form), Sal de ahí = Get out of there.
Salir Conjugation FAQs
- What does salir mean and when do you use it in Spanish?
- Salir means to leave / to go out / to date. Used for departing (Salgo a las cinco), going out socially (Salimos a cenar), dating (Salgo con Pedro), and outcomes (Salió bien = it turned out well).
- How does salir conjugate in the present tense?
- Salgo, sales, sale, salimos, salís, salen. Only yo is irregular (salgo, -go pattern). Other forms are regular -ir.
- What's the preterite of salir?
- Salí, saliste, salió, salimos, salisteis, salieron. Fully regular -ir preterite, no stem changes or irregularities.
- Why is salir's future saldré instead of saliré?
- Salir's future drops the i of the infinitive stem and inserts d → saldr-. Same pattern as tendré (tener), pondré (poner), vendré (venir). Memorize these as a family.
- How can I get better at conjugating salir?
- Salir is everyday vocabulary, leaving, going out, dating. Exposure to salgo / sales / salí / saldré in real contexts is the fastest path. Parrot's daily videos feature these forms in natural conversations.