How to use “Chegar” and “Sair” in Portuguese beginner sentences

Introduction

In this lesson you will learn how to use the verbs Chegar and Sair in Brazilian Portuguese at a beginner level. These two verbs are essential for talking about arriving, leaving, schedules, and everyday movements. The explanations are in English and all Portuguese examples are in Brazilian Portuguese so you can read, listen, and practice realistic sentences.

Why Chegar and Sair are important

Both verbs describe basic actions people do many times a day: arriving and leaving. Learning these verbs helps you read timetables, understand directions, ask and answer simple questions, and manage everyday interactions like meeting friends or catching transport.

Focus first on common present tense forms and simple past uses. Once you know these, you can expand to other tenses and more complex sentences.

Basic meanings and translations

Chegar means to arrive or to get to a place. Use it when someone reaches a destination or when something happens at a certain time.

Sair means to leave, to go out, or to exit. Use it when someone departs a place or goes out for an activity.

Present tense conjugation — regular patterns

Both verbs are regular in the present indicative with small stem changes to memorize. Start with these simple forms.

Chegar (present indicative)

Eu chego

Você/Ele/Ela chega

Nós chegamos

Vocês/Eles/Elas chegam

Sair (present indicative)

Eu saio

Você/Ele/Ela sai

Nós saímos

Vocês/Eles/Elas saem

Practical present-tense examples

Use present tense to describe routines, schedules, or near-future plans.

Expressions with chegar:

Eu chego às oito.

Ele chega no trabalho às nove.

A gente chega amanhã de manhã.

O ônibus chega na estação às 18h30.

Expressions with sair:

Eu saio de casa às sete.

Ela sai com os amigos sábado à noite.

Nós saímos do restaurante às 22h.

Você sai agora ou mais tarde?

Using Chegar and Sair with prepositions

Prepositions often follow these verbs to indicate origin, destination, or time. Learn a few common patterns.

Chegar em + place (commonly used in Brazil)

Eu cheguei em São Paulo ontem.

Chegamos no hotel tarde.

Chegar a + place (less common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, but possible in written contexts)

Saír de + place indicates leaving from a location

Saí da escola às 16h.

Saí do trabalho mais cedo hoje.

Ir embora / sair para + activity shows purpose

Vou sair para almoçar.

Past and perfect uses — practical forms beginners need

For simple past actions, Brazilian Portuguese uses Pretérito Perfeito. These forms are common in conversation when you describe what happened.

Pretérito Perfeito of chegar:

Eu cheguei ontem.

Ela chegou tarde.

Nós chegamos cedo.

Pretérito Perfeito of sair:

Eu saí cedo hoje.

Eles saíram antes da festa acabar.

Useful for messages and simple reports: colocou no status, mandou uma mensagem, contou quando chegou ou saiu.

Simple future and near future

To talk about future plans, use ir + infinitive or the future tense. Beginners usually prefer ir + infinitive because it mirrors English will-be-doing and is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

Ir + infinitive examples:

Eu vou chegar às seis.

Ela vai sair agora.

Nós vamos sair depois do almoço.

Future simple examples:

Você chegará às sete? (more formal)

Ele sairá mais tarde. (more formal)

Common short phrases and everyday signs

These are realistic phrases you will see on signs, timetables, texts, and conversations.

On timetables and boards:

Chegada: 14h30

Saída: 09h00

Portão de embarque — Chegada / Saída

In messages and voice notes:

Cheguei

Saí

Cheguei em casa

Saí do trabalho

Questions and short answers

Learn simple question forms to ask about arrival and departure.

Quando você chega?

Que horas você chega?

Quando você sai?

Você sai agora?

Short answers:

Chego às cinco.

Saio às sete.

Já cheguei.

Já saí.

Polite and informal variations

Brazilian Portuguese has informal patterns for friends and more polite forms for strangers or customers. Use você, tu, or o senhor/a senhora depending on context; for beginners stick with você for everyday interactions.

Informal with friends:

Chega aqui! (come here / arrive here — used informally)

Vamos sair agora?

Polite / service context:

Você chegou bem? (Did you arrive safely?)

A que horas a senhora sai hoje? (formal — use with older adults or in service situations)

Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Mixing prepositions: In Brazil, people say cheguei em São Paulo not cheguei a São Paulo in spoken language. Learn the natural spoken pattern cheguei em.

2. Confusing sair and deixar: Sair means to leave or go out; deixar means to leave something behind. Use sair when a person departs.

3. Wrong conjugations for sair: Remember Eu saio, not Eu sai. Practice with short sentences and voice notes to check pronunciation and forms.

4. Overusing ir + infinitive for everything: ir + infinitive is fine for near future, but learn the present and past too so you can describe routines and completed actions.

Practice exercises for beginners

Write or say short answers to these prompts using chegar or sair in present or past tense.

1. Que horas você __________ em casa? (arrive)

2. Hoje eu __________ do trabalho às 17h. (leave)

3. Eles __________ na festa ontem. (arrive)

4. Você vai __________ agora? (leave)

Answers for self-check:

1. chega

2. saí

3. chegaram

4. sair

Listening and speaking tips

1. Listen for the endings -o, -a, -em, -imos to recognize subjects. For example, chego versus chegou sound different and tell you present vs past.

2. Shadow short phrases: hear a native say Eu chego às oito and repeat immediately, matching rhythm and intonation.

3. Use real-world materials: check timetables labeled Chegada and Saída, listen to announcements at stations, read text messages that say Cheguei or Saí.

Useful vocabulary related to movement

Chegada — arrival

Saída — departure/exit

Horário — schedule

Estação — station

Portão — gate

Terminal — terminal

Pegar o ônibus — to catch the bus

Ir embora — to go away/leave

Mini dialogues for daily situations

Situation: meeting a friend at a café

— Que horas você chega no café?

— Chego às 15h.

— Ok. Eu saio agora e te espero lá.

Situation: leaving work and texting spouse

— Já saiu do trabalho?

— Sim, saí às 18h. Estou indo para casa.

How to build confidence quickly

Start using simple sentences in real contexts: text a friend when you arrive or leave using Cheguei and Saí. Read timetables and match the verbs Chegada and Saída to times. Practice short role-plays like calling a taxi and saying Eu chego em cinco minutos or Eu saio agora.

Resources for further practice

Use beginner audio lessons focusing on travel vocabulary, apps that allow voice recording for pronunciation feedback, and short videos showing arrival and departure announcements in Brazilian stations and airports. Look for materials labeled Brazilian Portuguese for accurate pronunciation and vocabulary use.

Conclusion

Mastering the verbs Chegar and Sair gives you practical power to talk about arrival and departure in everyday Brazilian Portuguese. Focus on present, simple past, ir + infinitive for near future, and common prepositions like em and de. Practice with short real-world phrases such as Cheguei, Saí, Chegada, and Saída to build confidence quickly. Use the mini dialogues and exercises here to start speaking and understanding common situations.