Salir Conjugation: All Spanish Tenses

Salir (to leave, to go out, to depart) is a very common Spanish verb and it is irregular: the first person of the present takes a -g- (yo salgo, which drives the whole subjunctive: salga), the future and conditional are built on the stem saldr- (saldré, saldría), and the tú command is sal. Everything else follows the regular -ir pattern (salí, saliendo, salido).

Indicative Tenses of Salir

Salir in the Present (Presente)

Habits, current facts and general truths: Salgo de casa a las ocho cada mañana (I leave home at eight every morning).

Present tense rules →

Salir in the Preterite (Pretérito indefinido)

Completed actions at a specific moment in the past: Ayer salí tarde del trabajo (Yesterday I left work late).

Preterite rules →

Salir in the Present Perfect (Pretérito perfecto)

Past connected to the present: Hoy he salido dos veces a la calle (Today I have gone out twice).

Present perfect rules →

Salir in the Imperfect (Pretérito imperfecto)

Habitual or ongoing actions in the past: De joven salía todos los fines de semana (When I was young I used to go out every weekend).

Imperfect rules →

Salir in the Past Perfect (Pluscuamperfecto)

An action before another past action: Cuando llamaste, ya había salido de la oficina (When you called, I had already left the office).

Past perfect rules →

Salir in the Future (Futuro simple)

Plans and predictions: Mañana saldré temprano de viaje (Tomorrow I will leave early on a trip).

Future tense rules →

Salir in the Future Perfect (Futuro perfecto)

An action that will be completed in the future: Para las diez ya habré salido del aeropuerto (By ten I will have left the airport).

Future perfect rules →

Salir in the Conditional (Condicional simple)

Advice and hypothetical situations: Yo en tu lugar saldría a despejarme un rato (If I were you, I would go out to clear my head for a while).

Conditional rules →

Salir in the Conditional Perfect (Condicional compuesto)

Hypotheses about the past: Habría salido contigo, pero estaba muy cansado (I would have gone out with you, but I was very tired).

Conditional perfect rules →

Subjunctive Tenses of Salir

Present Subjunctive of Salir (Presente de subjuntivo)

Wishes, doubts and emotions: Espero que salgas pronto del trabajo (I hope you leave work soon).

Present subjunctive rules →

Present Perfect Subjunctive of Salir (Pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo)

Evaluating a recent past action: Me alegro de que hayas salido bien del examen (I am glad you did well on the exam).

Perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperfect Subjunctive of Salir (Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo)

Hypothetical conditions: Si saliéramos antes, llegaríamos a tiempo (If we left earlier, we would arrive on time).

Imperfect subjunctive rules →

Past Perfect Subjunctive of Salir (Pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo)

Unreal hypotheses about the past: Si hubieras salido antes, no habrías perdido el tren (If you had left earlier, you would not have missed the train).

Past perfect subjunctive rules →

Imperative of Salir

Affirmative Commands of Salir (Imperativo afirmativo)

Orders and requests: ¡Sal de ahí ahora mismo! (Get out of there right now!)

Affirmative commands rules →

Negative Commands of Salir (Imperativo negativo)

Prohibitions and negative advice: No salgas sin abrigo, hace frío (Don't go out without a coat, it's cold).

Negative commands rules →

Expressions with Salir

• Salir adelante - to get ahead, to pull through difficulties
• Salir con alguien - to date someone, to be in a relationship
• Salir del paso - to get by, to manage a situation temporarily
• Salir caro - to be costly, to come at a high price
• Salir bien (o mal) - to turn out well (or badly)