Sair vs. Ir Embora: How to Say ‘Leave’ in Brazilian Portuguese — Practice

Use sair for leaving a place or going out

Sair can describe moving out of a place, going out socially, or leaving for an activity. Add the destination or purpose when you want to make the plan clear.

The preposition de often introduces the place someone leaves: sair do trabalho (leave work) and sair de casa (leave home). In casual plans, sair can also mean going out with friends.

Use ir embora to emphasize departing

Ir embora means to leave or go away from the current place. It is useful when the departure itself matters, whether or not the speaker says where they are going next.

You can combine both verbs when the context calls for it: sair de um place names the starting point, and ir embora emphasizes that the person is leaving. In everyday conversation, one verb is usually enough.

Remember: Choose sair when the place or social outing is central; use ir embora when you want to highlight that someone is leaving.

Check your understanding

Choose the English meaning of each Portuguese example. Answer before looking back at the tables. These questions check the written examples in this guide; they are not a listening or proficiency test.

Recall the Portuguese, then say it

Read the English prompt and say a Portuguese version before opening the answer. The answer shows the example from the lesson; other natural translations may also work. Compare the meaning and the situation rather than counting a different word as automatically wrong.

1. I’m leaving the office at six.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Vou sair do escritório às seis.

2. Do you want to go out for dinner?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Você quer sair para jantar?

3. We left the party early.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   A gente saiu cedo da festa.

4. It’s already late; I’m going to leave.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Já está tarde; vou embora.

5. They left before dessert.

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Eles foram embora antes da sobremesa.

6. Can I leave a little earlier today?

   Show a Portuguese answer

   Posso sair um pouco mais cedo hoje?

Make the phrase useful to you

Choose one example you could actually use. Say it once from memory, then change one detail that fits your life, such as the person, place, time, or object. Check whether your change also needs a different verb form, article, or adjective ending. If it does, compare it with the pattern in the explanation.

Choose sair when the place or social outing is central; use ir embora when you want to highlight that someone is leaving.

Return to two prompts tomorrow without opening the answers first. If a phrase still feels difficult, shorten it to a useful chunk and build the complete sentence again.

Sources and your next lesson

This I Speak Portuguese practice guide builds on our Sair vs. Ir Embora: How to Say ‘Leave’ in Brazilian Portuguese lesson on Real Life Portuguese, with written recall tasks and additional speaking practice. The explanations and examples are teaching material; the practice questions are exercises, not a transcript of a recording.

To add Brazilian audio to your routine, choose a lesson in the Real Life Portuguese app. The app offers its own lessons and practice; this page does not imply that every example here has an app recording.