Não saio sem travões, nem que perca o passeio.

to lose

Breakdown of Não saio sem travões, nem que perca o passeio.

• não: not
• sem: without
• sair: to leave

Questions & Answers about Não saio sem travões, nem que perca o passeio.

What does saio mean, and what verb does it come from?

Saio is the 1st person singular form of the verb sair, which means to go out, to leave, or to set off, depending on context.

So:

• sair = to go out / to leave
• eu saio = I go out / I leave / I set off

In this sentence, Não saio... means something like I’m not going out... or I won’t set off...

A useful detail: Portuguese often uses the present tense to express a firm decision about the near future, so Não saio can sound like I’m not going or I’m not setting off.

Why is there no eu in the sentence?

Because Portuguese often drops the subject pronoun when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Here, saio clearly means I go out / I leave, so eu is unnecessary.

Compare:

• Eu não saio sem travões.
• Não saio sem travões.

Both are correct, but the second is more natural unless you want emphasis on I.

Why does Não saio mean I won’t go out here, if it’s present tense?