Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

I leave the office at five.

Breakdown of Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

• yo: I
• de: from
• las cinco: the five
• la oficina: the office
• salir: to get out

Questions & Answers about Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

Why isn’t there a word for “I”? Why not Yo salgo de la oficina a las cinco?

Spanish usually drops subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is.

• Salgo = I leave (1st person singular)
• Sales = you leave
• Sale = he/she/you (formal) leave(s)

So salgo already means “I leave”, and yo is not needed.

You can say Yo salgo de la oficina a las cinco, but then you’re adding emphasis, like:

• Yo salgo de la oficina a las cinco (I do, not someone else / I personally leave at 5).

In neutral, everyday speech, Salgo de la oficina a las cinco is more natural.

Why is it salgo and not salir or salgo a la oficina?

• Salir is the infinitive: to leave / to go out.
• Salgo is the conjugated form for “I” in the present tense: I leave / I go out.

You need a conjugated verb in a sentence with a subject and a time:

• Salgo = I leave.
• Salir alone would be like saying to leave — not a complete sentence.

Also, in this structure you’re leaving from the office, not going to the office:

• salir de [lugar] = to leave from [place]
  
  • Salgo de la oficina = I leave the office.
• salir a [lugar] = to go out to [place/event]
  
  • Salgo a la calle = I go out to the street.
  • Salgo a cenar = I go out to dinner.

So salgo de la oficina (not salgo a la oficina) is the correct pattern to express leaving your office.

Why do we use de after salgo? Could I say Salgo la oficina?

You need de because in Spanish the verb is salir de when you talk about the place you are leaving:

• salir de la oficina = leave the office
• salir de casa = leave home
• salir del trabajo = leave work
• salir de la escuela = leave school

Saying Salgo la oficina is incorrect. The preposition de is required here.

Why is it la oficina and not just oficina?

In Spanish, definite articles (el, la, los, las) are used more often than in English. For specific, real-world places, you normally include the article:

• la oficina = the office
• la casa = the house / home
• el banco = the bank
• el supermercado = the supermarket

English often drops “the” or uses “my” where Spanish uses a definite article:

• I leave the office. → Salgo de la oficina.
• I’m going to school. → Voy a la escuela. (with article in Spanish)

So la oficina is the normal, natural way to say the office here. Saying just oficina (with no article or determiner) would sound incomplete or unnatural.

Why don’t we say mi oficina if in English we often say “I leave my office at five”?

Spanish doesn’t always match English possessives. When it’s obvious whose office it is (your own workplace), Spanish is fine with just la oficina:

• Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.
  Literally: I leave the office at five.
  Naturally understood: I leave my office at five (if context is clear).

You would say mi oficina when you specifically want to highlight that it’s yours or to distinguish it from some other office:

• Salgo de mi oficina a las cinco, pero la recepción cierra a las seis.
  I leave my office at five, but reception closes at six.

So la oficina is the default; mi oficina adds extra emphasis or clarification.

What exactly does oficina mean here? Is it my company, my job, or a physical room?

Oficina refers primarily to a physical office space (the place where you work: room, suite, floor, building used for office work).

In practice, though, Salgo de la oficina a las cinco usually means:

• I leave my workplace/office (the building or office area) at five.

For “job” or “work” in the abstract, Spanish tends to use trabajo:

• Salgo del trabajo a las cinco. = I get off work at five.

So:

• oficina = the office (physical workplace)
• trabajo = work (job), also can mean the workplace in general in this context

Why is it a las cinco and not en las cinco or a cinco?

For clock times, Spanish uses the preposition a:

• a la una = at one
• a las dos = at two
• a las cinco = at five

You don’t use en for clock times like this. En is more like “in / during / on”:

• en la mañana = in the morning
• en enero = in January
• en 2024 = in 2024

You also need the article la/las because you’re really saying “at the five (o’clock)”:

• a las cinco = at five (o’clock)
• a la una = at one (o’clock)

So:
✔ Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.
✘ Salgo de la oficina en las cinco.
✘ Salgo de la oficina a cinco.

Why is it las cinco and not los cinco or just cinco? Is cinco feminine?

The article las agrees with the implied noun horas (hours), which is feminine and plural:

• la hora (feminine singular)
• las horas (feminine plural)

When you say a las cinco, you’re really saying:

• a las (cinco horas) = at the (five hours) → at five o’clock.

So:

• a la una (hora) = at one o’clock
• a las dos (horas) = at two o’clock
• a las cinco (horas) = at five o’clock

The number cinco itself has no gender; the article las is feminine because hora is feminine.

How do I say if it’s 5 a.m. or 5 p.m.? Does Salgo de la oficina a las cinco mean morning or afternoon?

By itself, a las cinco is ambiguous; context usually makes it clear.

To be specific, Spanish typically adds de la mañana, de la tarde, or de la noche:

• Salgo de la oficina a las cinco de la tarde.
  I leave the office at 5 p.m.

If (for some reason) you leave at 5 a.m.:

• Salgo de la oficina a las cinco de la mañana.
  I leave the office at 5 a.m.

In everyday Latin American Spanish, people often add these expressions if there’s any chance of confusion.

Can Salgo de la oficina a las cinco describe a habit, or does it only mean one specific time?

It can describe both, depending on context:

1. Habit / routine (most common reading with no extra context)

   • Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.
     = I (normally) leave the office at five. (every day / usually)

2. Future, specific plan (when you add a future time reference)

   • Mañana salgo de la oficina a las cinco.
     Tomorrow I leave the office at five.
   • El viernes salgo de la oficina a las cinco.
     On Friday I leave the office at five.

Spanish often uses the present tense for future scheduled events, especially with a future word like mañana, el viernes, la próxima semana, etc.

How is this different from Estoy saliendo de la oficina or Saldré de la oficina?

All three are correct but have different uses:

1. Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

   • Present simple.
   • Can be habitual: I (always) leave the office at five.
   • Or planned future (with a future time word): Tomorrow I leave at five.

2. Estoy saliendo de la oficina.

   • Present progressive, literally I am leaving the office (right now).
   • Describes an action in progress at this moment.
   • Often used when you’re on your way out: I’m just now leaving.

3. Saldré de la oficina a las cinco.

   • Simple future tense, I will leave the office at five.
   • Correct, but in spoken Spanish, people very often prefer:
     • Voy a salir de la oficina a las cinco.
       (I’m going to leave at five.)
     • Or just present: Mañana salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

So Salgo de la oficina a las cinco is the most natural for a routine, and very common even for future arrangements if you add a future time word.

What’s the difference between Salgo de la oficina and Me voy de la oficina?

Both can mean “I leave the office”, but there is a nuance:

• Salgo de la oficina

  • Slightly more neutral / literal: I go out / I exit the office.
  • Focus on the act of going out or finishing work.

• Me voy de la oficina

  • Uses irse, which is more like “I’m going away / I’m off.”
  • Often feels a bit more casual / personal.
  • Common in conversation:
    
    • Me voy de la oficina a las cinco. = I’m out of the office at five / I leave at five.

In many everyday situations, they overlap and both are acceptable. If you’re learning, Salgo de la oficina a las cinco is perfectly safe and natural.

Can I change the word order, like A las cinco salgo de la oficina?

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible, especially for emphasis.

All of these are grammatically correct:

• Salgo de la oficina a las cinco. (neutral order)
• A las cinco salgo de la oficina. (emphasis on the time: At five I leave the office.)
• De la oficina salgo a las cinco. (more marked, emphasis on “from the office”)

The most natural everyday version is the original:
Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

Is there anything different about this sentence in Latin American Spanish vs Spain?

Grammatically and in meaning, the sentence is the same in both:

• Salgo de la oficina a las cinco.

Differences:

• Pronunciation:
  
  • In Latin America, c in oficina is pronounced like s: o-fi-*si-na*.
  • In most of Spain, c before i is pronounced like English “th” in think: o-fi-*θi-na*.

Vocabulary and structure here are standard, so the sentence works equally well throughout the Spanish‑speaking world.