出る

Usage

出る is a two-mora ichidan verb: polite 出ます, て-form 出て, past 出た, negative 出ない. It is intransitive; the transitive partner is 出す (だす, godan): ‘take out, put out, send’.

The place you leave takes を: 家を出る, 部屋を出る, 東京を出る. The thing you go out to, attend or respond to takes に: 会議に出る (attend), 電話に出る (answer the phone), 試合に出る (take part), テレビに出る (appear on TV). With a natural subject it means ‘come out’: 月が出る, 涙が出る.

Examples

• 毎朝八時に家を出ます。（まいあさ はちじ に いえ を でます）— I leave the house at eight every morning.
• 明日の会議に出ますか。（あした の かいぎ に でます か）— Are you attending tomorrow’s meeting?
• 電話に出てください。（でんわ に でて ください）— Please answer the phone.
• 月が出ました。（つき が でました）— The moon came out.

Traps for Spanish, English and French speakers

• ‘Salir de casa’ and ‘sortir de la maison’ put ‘de’ on the place, so learners reach for から or, worse, write 家に出る. The place you leave is marked with を: 家を出る, 部屋を出る. 家から出る is grammatical but only stresses the starting point (‘out from the house’); を is the default for leaving somewhere.
• 出る is intransitive. ‘Sacar la basura’ and ‘sortir les poubelles’ use the transitive partner 出す: ごみを出す, 手紙を出す (mail a letter). ごみを出る is wrong. (‘Sacar una foto’ is 写真を撮る, neither of the two.)
• ‘Contestar el teléfono’ / ‘répondre au téléphone’ / ‘answer the phone’ tempt 電話を答える. Answering the phone is 電話に出る; 答える is for questions (質問に答える). Likewise ‘asistir a la reunión / attend the meeting’ is 会議に出る; 会議に行く only says you went to where it was held.