Sair vs. Ir Embora: How to Say ‘Leave’ in Brazilian Portuguese
Sair can mean leaving a place or going out socially; ir embora focuses on departing from where you are.
Real Life Portuguese · 5 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
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.
Use sair for leaving a place or going out
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.
Vou sair do escritório às seis.
I’m leaving the office at six.
Você quer sair para jantar?
Do you want to go out for dinner?
A gente saiu cedo da festa.
We left the party early.
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.
Já está tarde; vou embora.
It’s already late; I’m going to leave.
Eles foram embora antes da sobremesa.
They left before dessert.
Posso sair um pouco mais cedo hoje?
Can I leave a little earlier today?
Put it into practice
Choose sair when the place or social outing is central; use ir embora when you want to highlight that someone is leaving.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “They left before dessert”?
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