Por último, salimos de la galería.

Por último is a common expression meaning lastly, finally, or in the end in a sequence of events.

Here it signals that this is the final action in a story or description:

• first something happened
• then something else happened
• por último, they left the gallery

It is very natural in Spanish for organizing events.

You may also hear:

• finalmente
• al final

But por último often sounds especially good when listing steps or actions in order.

Salimos is from the verb salir, which means to leave, to go out, or to exit.

In this sentence, salimos means:

• we left
• or, depending on context, we go out / we leave

Because the sentence tells a sequence of completed events, learners will usually understand it here as we left.

Here, salimos is most naturally the preterite form of salir:

• yo salí
• tú saliste
• él/ella salió
• nosotros salimos
• ellos salieron

So in this sentence, it most likely means we left.

However, salimos can also be the present tense form for nosotros:

• nosotros salimos = we leave / we go out

Spanish sometimes has forms that look identical in two tenses. You figure it out from the context. Since por último suggests a finished sequence, the preterite reading is the most likely one here.

You know mainly from context.

In a sentence like:

• Por último, salimos de la galería.

it sounds like part of a narration of past events, so salimos is understood as we left.

Compare:

• Cada viernes salimos temprano. = Every Friday we leave early. → present/habitual
• Ayer salimos temprano. = Yesterday we left early. → preterite/past

So the form alone is ambiguous, but the surrounding words and situation usually make the meaning clear.

Spanish often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So instead of saying:

• Nosotros salimos de la galería

Spanish normally just says:

• Salimos de la galería

The verb ending -imos already tells you the subject is we.

Including nosotros is possible, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Nosotros salimos, pero ellos se quedaron.
  We left, but they stayed.

The preposition de is used with salir to show the place you are leaving:

• salir de = to leave / go out of

So:

• salimos de la galería = we left the gallery

More examples:

• Salió de la casa. = He/She left the house.
• Salimos del restaurante. = We left the restaurant.

Notice that:

• de + el = del
• but de + la stays de la

So here it is de la galería, not del galería, because galería is feminine.

Because galería is a feminine noun in Spanish:

• la galería

That is why you get:

• de la galería

Many nouns ending in -ía are feminine:

• la cafetería
• la fotografía
• la biblioteca is also feminine, though it ends differently

As always, grammatical gender in Spanish is something you usually have to learn with the noun.

Not always.

Galería can mean different things depending on context, such as:

• an art gallery
• a gallery in a building
• sometimes a shopping arcade or covered passage
• in some contexts, a balcony section or upper seating area

If the meaning has already been given to the learner, then the exact sense is set by context. But it is good to know that galería is not limited to just one English meaning.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes: ÚL-ti-mo.

Without getting too technical, Spanish uses written accents to mark stress when it does not follow the normal pattern.

So:

• último is stressed on the first syllable

This written accent helps with both pronunciation and distinguishing the correct form.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

ga-le-RI-a

More carefully:

• ga as in guitar without the glide
• le
• rí is stressed
• a

The stress falls on rí because of the accent mark:

• ga-le-RÍ-a

Also, in most Latin American accents:

• the g in ga is a normal hard g
• the r is tapped lightly
• the final a is clearly pronounced

It is very common and usually recommended.

Por último works like an introductory expression, so Spanish often separates it with a comma:

• Por último, salimos de la galería.

You may sometimes see punctuation used a bit differently in informal writing, but the comma is the standard choice here.

Yes. Finalmente is also possible.

But there can be a slight difference in feel:

• por último often sounds like the last item in a sequence
• finalmente often sounds like finally / at last, and sometimes can suggest relief or conclusion

In many contexts, both work. If you are describing steps in order, por último is especially natural.

This word order is natural because Spanish often puts a sequencing expression first, then the main action:

• Por último,
  • action

So the structure is:

• Por último = discourse marker / time-order expression
• salimos = main verb
• de la galería = place we left

Spanish word order is flexible, but this version sounds very normal and clear. For example, you could also hear:

• Salimos de la galería por último

but that usually sounds more marked or changes the emphasis. The original sentence is the most straightforward way to say it.