How to say “Let’s leave in ten minutes” in Portuguese

Introduction

Learning how to say common time-related phrases helps you sound natural in Brazilian Portuguese. This article focuses on how to say Let s leave in ten minutes and related expressions. You will learn natural translations, variations for casual and formal situations, example dialogues, pronunciation tips, and usage notes to help you use these phrases confidently.

Basic translations

The most direct way to say Let s leave in ten minutes is to use the verb sair paired with a time expression. The common Brazilian Portuguese sentence is

Vamos sair em dez minutos

Breakdown of the phrase:

Vamos sair — first person plural of ir or the periphrastic suggestion vamos + infinitive, used to propose doing something together.
em dez minutos — literal timing expression meaning in ten minutes.

Other natural alternatives

Portuguese speakers use several variations depending on tone and region. Here are common alternatives:

Saímos em dez minutos
This uses the first person plural present of sair and sounds like a statement of plan rather than a suggestion.

Daqui a dez minutos a gente sai
Daqui a dez minutos means in ten minutes from now, and a gente is a very common informal substitute for nós.

Vamos embora em dez minutos
Vamos embora is slightly more emphatic and often used when leaving a place; it has a casual tone.

Choosing between vamos sair, saímos, and a gente sai

All three options are correct but carry different nuances. Use Vamos sair em dez minutos when making a suggestion or plan with the group. Use Saímos em dez minutos when communicating a schedule or confirming a plan. Use Daqui a dez minutos a gente sai when speaking informally or casually in conversation.

Note that a gente conjugates like third person singular, even though it refers to we. Example: A gente sai às oito. Pronunciation and register are more colloquial than nós.

Time expressions: em dez minutos vs daqui a dez minutos

Both em dez minutos and daqui a dez minutos translate to in ten minutes, but usage differs slightly. Em dez minutos is concise and widely used. Daqui a dez minutos emphasizes the starting point now and can sound a bit more precise or conversational.

Example:

O ônibus passa em dez minutos.
O show começa daqui a dez minutos.

When to use daqui a vs em

Use daqui a when you want to stress the countdown aspect or when giving a reminder. Use em for straightforward scheduling and when the phrase is short and casual. Both are interchangeable in most spoken contexts.

Adding politeness and formality

If you need to be more polite or formal, you can alter the phrasing or add please. Here are polite variations:

Vamos sair em dez minutos, por favor?
This adds por favor for a polite request, common among friends or colleagues.

Poderíamos sair em dez minutos?
Poderíamos sair uses the conditional verb poder to form a more formal or tentative suggestion, useful in polite settings.

Examples for formal and semi-formal contexts

Formal meetings or mixed company sometimes call for calmer language. Try:

Poderíamos sair daqui a dez minutos, se estiverem prontos.
Vamos sair em dez minutos, combinado?

Casual and colloquial ways Brazilians say it

Brazilian Portuguese is full of colloquial expressions that sound natural in everyday conversation. Here are some casual ways to say Let s leave in ten minutes:

Bora sair em dez minutos
Bora is a contraction of vamos embora and is extremely common among friends.

A gente vaza em dez
Vazar is slang for leaving; this phrase is very informal and best used with close friends.

Partiu em dez minutos
Partiu is slang meaning let s go or we re off; you will hear it frequently in messaging and speech.

Usage notes on slang

Slang like vazar and partiu can sound rude or too informal in professional contexts, so reserve them for friends. Bora is widely accepted among younger people and in casual settings.

Time rounding and variations

When you want to be less exact, Brazilians often round time. Instead of specifying ten minutes, you might use approximate phrases:

Em uns dez minutos
Em uns dez minutos adds the sense of around or about ten minutes.

Daqui a mais ou menos dez minutos
Daqui a mais ou menos dez minutos literally more or less ten minutes and is a safe way to avoid overpromising.

Examples with rounding

Vamos sair em uns dez minutos.
Daqui a mais ou menos dez minutos a gente sai.

Practical dialogues

Short dialogues help you see the phrases in real conversation. Each line uses Portuguese for speech with English comments if necessary.

Dialogue 1 — friends getting ready:
— Bora sair em dez minutos?
— Sim, só pegar a mochila e já vou.
— Certo, te espero na porta.

Dialogue 2 — confirming plans:
— Saímos em dez minutos, certo?
— Sim, está ótimo. A gente se encontra no táxi.

Dialogue 3 — polite workplace setting:
— Poderíamos sair daqui a dez minutos para a reunião externa?
— Claro, vou avisar o resto da equipe.

Notes on contractions and natural speech

In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, speakers often reduce or link words. For example, vamos sair can sound like vamo s sair or vamo sair. Listen to native speakers and mimic rhythm and stress rather than trying to pronounce each syllable separately.

Pronunciation guide

Key pronunciation points for the main phrases:

Vamos sair — VAH-mos sah-EER, stress on the first syllable of vamos and on sair’s second syllable.
Saímos — sah-EEM-oos, note the accented i sound.
Daqui a dez minutos — dah-KEE ah dez mee-NOO-toos, dez pronounced like the English word days but shorter vowel.
Bora — BOH-rah, quick and upbeat.
Partiu — par-CHEW (the r in some regions is guttural or a soft flap, and ti before vowel becomes chew in informal speech).

Regional accents

Brazil is large and pronunciation varies. In the southeast and south, r at the start of a syllable often sounds like the English h; in the northeast, it s rolled. Listening to different speakers will help you adapt.

Common follow-up phrases

When you say Let s leave in ten minutes, people often respond with confirmations, requests, or questions. Learn these useful follow-ups:

Tá bom — sounds like OK or fine.
Quanto tempo demora? — How long will it take? Useful if someone worries about travel time.
Vamos esperar mais alguém? — Shall we wait for someone else? A common logistical question.
Estou pronto or Já vou — I m ready or I m leaving now.

Grammar notes

Vamos + infinitive is a common structure to propose actions and is equivalent to let s in English. Saímos is the present indicative of sair and can be used to state plans. Daqui a and em both express future time but differ slightly in emphasis as described earlier.

Remember verb agreement with a gente: although it means we, it takes third person singular conjugation. Example: A gente sai às quatro. For a more formal subject, use nós: Nós saímos em dez minutos.

Practical tips for learners

1. Practice the main sentence variations out loud to get comfortable with rhythm and contraction.
2. Use bora or partiu only with friends; choose vamos or podemos for polite contexts.
3. Pay attention to time markers like em, daqui a, and uns to express precision or approximation.
4. Listen to native dialogues in videos or podcasts to internalize pronunciation and regional differences.
5. When in doubt, mirror the phrasing used by the locals around you — Brazilian Portuguese is flexible and context-driven.

Resources for further practice

To improve your confidence using time expressions and departure phrases, consider these activities: listen to Brazilian podcasts that include everyday conversations, watch short YouTube vlogs showing daily life, and shadow native speakers by repeating short segments aloud. Focus on the phrases introduced here and note different regional pronunciations.

Conclusion

By learning the core phrase Vamos sair em dez minutos and its common variations like Saímos em dez minutos and Daqui a dez minutos a gente sai, you can confidently say Let s leave in ten minutes in many Brazilian contexts. Remember register, slang choices, and pronunciation tips to sound natural. Practice with dialogues and listen to native speakers to master timing and rhythm.