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salir vs irse

Both translate as "to leave", but one is about exiting a space and the other about abandoning a situation — and they are not interchangeable.

salir

exiting a place, departing, going out

  • Salgo de casa a las ocho.
  • El tren sale a las diez.
  • Salimos el sábado por la noche.
  • Sal por esa puerta.
  • ¿A qué hora sales del trabajo?

irse

leaving a situation behind

  • Me voy, ya es tarde.
  • Se fue sin decir nada.
  • Nos vamos de vacaciones.
  • ¿Ya te vas?
  • Se fueron a vivir a Lima.

Quick answer

salir = to go out, to exit a place, to depart. Also "to go out" socially.
irse = to leave, to go away; the focus is on abandoning where you are, not on where you are heading.

salir de takes the place you exit; irse a takes the place you head for.

Side by side

Salí de la oficina a las seis.I left the office at six — the focus is on the building I came out of.
Me fui de la fiesta temprano.I left the party early — the focus is on removing myself from it.
Los viernes salgo con mis amigos.On Fridays I go out with my friends — salir is also the verb for a night out.

Memory trick

Is the sentence about the door you go through, or about the fact that you are no longer there? Door means salir. No longer there means irse.

Typical mistakes

Salgo, hasta mañana.

Me voy, hasta mañana.

Announcing your departure to the people around you needs irse. Salgo on its own sounds unfinished and the listener waits for "de dónde".

Me voy de casa a las ocho cada día.

Salgo de casa a las ocho cada día.

For a daily routine of walking out of the house, salir is standard. Irse de casa strongly suggests leaving home for good.

Check yourself

At the end of a dinner you stand up and say:

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