irse
/ˈiɾse/
To leave is irse in Spanish.
irse is used to express the act of departing or going away from a place. While salir is the most common and general verb for 'to leave', irse specifically emphasizes the departure itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb is a combination of ir (to go) and the reflexive pronoun se (oneself), which literally means 'to go oneself away'.
Which one should you use?
Use irse to emphasize the act of departing or leaving a place, whereas ir simply means 'to go' toward a destination. If you are leaving an object behind, such as keys, use dejar instead of irse.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈiɾse/
Did you know?
- Because irse is reflexive, the pronoun se can change the meaning of the sentence entirely. Saying se fue can mean 'he left', but it is also the standard way to say someone 'passed away'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying me voy (I am leaving) is often the start of a long process. It is common to spend several minutes saying goodbye to each person in a room after announcing the departure.
- In some regions, irse can be used colloquially to mean 'to go crazy' or 'to lose one's head' when paired with certain modifiers, moving far beyond the literal meaning of departing a room.
Examples in context
- Es hora de irse.It's time to leave.This sentence shows how to say it is time to leave using irse.Tatoeba #521913 by Shishir, translation #247561 by CK
- Habrá que irse, ¿no?She'll have to leave, won't she?This sentence is useful for expressing that someone will have to leave using irse.Tatoeba #7866836 by arh, translation #12772275 by rul
- Está a punto de irse.He is about to leave.This sentence shows how to express that someone is about to leave using irse.Tatoeba #2220730 by Shishir, translation #449813 by manuk7
- He decidido salir del trabajo temprano hoy.I have decided to leave work early today.
- El avión sale en una hora.The plane leaves in an hour.
- Voy a salir del autobús en la próxima parada.I'm going to get off the bus at the next stop.
- Mis amigos salieron de la fiesta a medianoche.My friends left the party at midnight.
- Por favor, déjeme solo.Please leave me alone.
- Dejé la oficina hace una hora.I left the office an hour ago.
- Mis amigos se fueron del cine antes del final.My friends left the movie theater before the end.
- Me voy de la casa de mi abuela en unos minutos.I'm leaving my grandmother's house in a few minutes.
- Me voy a marchar temprano mañana para evitar el tráfico.I'm going to leave early tomorrow to avoid traffic.
- Mis padres se marcharon de vacaciones por dos semanas.My parents left on vacation for two weeks.
- Ella salió de la casa.She left the house.
- 50 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofia are at a party.
- MateoYa me quiero irse.I want to leave already.
- Sofía¿Por qué quieres irse tan pronto, Mateo?Why do you want to leave so soon, Mateo?
- MateoTengo que irse para descansar.I have to leave to get some rest.
- SofíaEstá bien, nos vemos mañana.All right, I will see you tomorrow.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry irse, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
