13 Ways to Say Let's Go and I'm Leaving in Portuguese

Want to say let's go in Portuguese? In Brazil the go-to phrase is "vamos embora", and in everyday speech it gets squeezed into "vambora" or just "bora". And if what you really mean is I'm leaving in Portuguese, we Brazilians say "vou embora" or, more casually, "tô indo", which is what you'll hear all the time on the street.

Watch out for a trap that trips up a lot of learners: "já vou", without "embora", means "I'm coming" or "be right there", so you're on your way in, not on your way out. "Vou" alone just means "I'm going" (and in normal conversation it sounds like "voh"), but to actually say goodbye you need "embora" or a slang version like "bora", "simbora" or "tô vazando". And if you've been wondering about the vambora meaning, it's simply "vamos embora" packed into one word: "let's go".

Here I'll show you 13 ways to say "let's go" and "I'm leaving" in Brazilian Portuguese, from formal to slang, with sentences to practice out loud and a video. That way, whether you're leaving a work meeting in São Paulo or heading out of a party with friends in Rio, you'll sound natural. And to round out the topic, check out these greetings and farewells in Portuguese.

Video: Different Ways to Say I'M LEAVING in Portuguese

In this video I show you how we say "I'm leaving" and "let's go" in Portuguese in real situations, from the neutral "vou embora" to the "tô vazando" you'd use with friends. Watch it before the sentences so the Brazilian pronunciation sticks.

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Sentences to Practice

Here are some sentences to help you internalize the different ways to say "I'm leaving" in Portuguese.

Formal

These are the most neutral ways to say I'm leaving in Portuguese, perfect for work, family or people you've just met. Almost all of them use the verb "ir" (to go), so "vou embora", "estamos indo" or "vou indo" work in any context without sounding abrupt.

VAMOS EMBORA / VAMBORA

"Vamos embora" means "let's go" and it's the most direct way to suggest leaving. "Vambora" is the same phrase squeezed together, just the way we say it fast in Brazil, so if you're wondering about the meaning of "vambora", it's simply "let's go".

• - Quando é que vocês vão embora?
  - Vamos embora na próxima semana.
• E aí, vambora pra tua casa?

How to use "porém", "embora" and "ir embora".

ESTAMOS INDO

"Estamos indo" means "we're leaving" or "we're heading out", and it's how you let people know the group is leaving right now. It's polite and neutral, ideal for saying goodbye without cutting the conversation off abruptly.

• Já estamos indo, Jorge, você vai ficar ou vem com a gente?

20 meanings of FICAR in Portuguese.

VAMOS INDO / TAMO INDO

"Vamos indo" is another way to say "we're off", and "tamo indo" is the spoken version, because in Brazil we swallow the "es" in "estamos", a bit like "going to" turns into "gonna" in English. Heads up: "tamo indo" can also mean "we're on our way (to you)", like in the second example.

• - Que bom te ver por aqui.
  - Igualmente, mas já vamos indo, esperamos te ver em outra oportunidade.
• Tamo indo na tua casa te pegar agora, vai descendo pra gente não perder tempo te esperando.

VOU INDO / VÔ INDO

"Vou indo" is the singular version and works like "I'm off" or "I'll get going" when you're the only one leaving. The "vô" isn't a typo: that's how we pronounce "vou" day to day (it sounds like "voh"), and it's the answer to how you say I'm going in Portuguese.

• Galera, vou/vô indo, foi bom demais passar a noite conversando com vocês.

INFORMAL

This is where the forms we use with friends, at parties or in group chats come in. Most of them come from a clipped "embora" ("bora", "simbora", "vumbora") or from slang like "vazar", so use them freely, just maybe not in a job interview.

VAMO OU BORA? / VAMO Ô BORA?

"Vamo ou bora?" is a joke: both options mean "let's go", so you're not really giving anyone a choice. We use it to get someone to join a plan, like a laid-back "you in or what?".

• O pessoal da universidade tá organizando um acampamento este fim de semana, vamo ou bora?

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SIMBORA

"Simbora" also comes from "vamos embora", but clipped as short as it gets, and it sounds like "yeah, let's go!". It's the excited reply when someone invites you somewhere, and in the Northeast of Brazil you'll also hear "vumbora", like in the song below.

• - A galera do trabalho tá querendo fazer uma viagem à praia semana que vem, vem com a gente?
  - Simbora!

Vumbora amar
Embora mais eu
Vumbora amar
Embora mais eu

BORA

"Bora" is the shortest form of "embora" and today it's one of the most common ways in Brazil to say "let's go" or "come on". It works both for leaving ("bora?") and for inviting someone to do something, like in "bora lá no supermercado".

• Bora lá no supermercado comigo comprar as coisas pro churrasco.

BORA VAZAR

"Vazar" literally means "to leak" or "to spill", but in Brazilian slang it means to split or bail. "Bora vazar" is "let's get out of here", usually in a hurry or because things are starting to get ugly.

• Ei, pelo visto acho que isso vai dar confusão por aqui, bora vazar logo antes de piorar a situação.

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TÁ NA HORA NÉ?

"Tá na hora, né?" means "it's time, right?" and it's an indirect way of saying it's time to go or to wrap something up. We use it to drop the hint without actually saying "I'm leaving", whether with friends or with a kid who won't go to bed.

• Meu filho, são 2 horas da madrugada e você ainda tá jogando videogame, tá na hora né? Vá dormir que hoje tem aula.

Different ways to say "I fell asleep" in Portuguese.

JÁ DEU NÉ? / DEU NÉ? JÁ DEU AÍ?

"Já deu, né?" is like "that's enough, right?" or "okay, we're done here". We say it when something has dragged on too long and we want to wrap up or leave; "já deu aí?" is the question version, something like "are you done yet?".

• Nossa, já faz umas 2 horas que ele tá consertando a máquina de lavar, será que já deu?

VAMOS PEGAR O BECO

"Pegar o beco" literally means "to take the alley", and in Brazilian slang it means to leave or hit the road. "Vamos pegar o beco" is very informal, something like "let's roll" or "let's bounce".

Vamos pegar o beco que eu já tô morrendo de fome, quero comer uma lasanha bem gostosa naquele restaurante italiano que fomos na semana passada.

• Speaking of "FOME" (hunger), discover typical Brazilian food by region.

VOU PEGAR DESCENDO

"Vou pegar descendo" is a very informal goodbye that means "I'm off" or "I'm heading out". It has no literal meaning, which is why you won't find it in the dictionary, but you'll hear it in any group of friends in Brazil.

• Galera, vou pegar descendo porque amanhã trabalho bem cedinho.

Different ways to use PEGAR in Portuguese.

Bonus Content

These expressions don't mean "I'm leaving" in Portuguese, but they're the reasons that almost always come right before the goodbye: sleepiness, exhaustion or patience running out. Learn them together with the ones above and you'll be able to explain why you're leaving.

O SONO TÁ BATENDO

"O sono tá batendo" means "I'm getting sleepy", literally "sleep is knocking". It's the perfect excuse to leave a get-together or a party early, and it pairs really well with a "vou indo" right after.

• Como se já não bastasse eu não ter dormido quase nada ontem, ainda tenho que aturar essa reunião tediosa, o sono tá batendo ainda mais forte.

Learn 27 expressions with BATER in Portuguese.

ESTAR DE SACO CHEIO

"Estar de saco cheio" means being fed up or sick and tired of something or someone. It's informal but not rude, and we use it a lot when someone can't take it anymore and all they want is to leave.

• Ela me falou que já está de saco cheio por conta do pessoal da empresa pegando no pé dela.

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ENCHER O SACO

"Encher o saco" means to annoy someone or be a pain in the neck, without being a strong swear. It's a cousin of "estar de saco cheio": whoever "enche o saco" (fills your bag) is exactly the reason you end up with a full bag.

• Eu vou encher o saco da minha chefe até ela decidir me dar um aumento salarial.

Different ways to say "DON'T BOTHER ME" in Portuguese.

MANO, TÔ VAZANDO

"Tô vazando" means "I'm out" or "I'm bailing" in slang, the first-person version of "bora vazar". "Mano" is like "bro" or "dude", and together they make one of the most street-style, natural goodbyes among friends in Brazil.

• Mano, tô muito cansado, tô vazando, amanhã a gente se fala pra trocar umas ideias.

I'm Going to Shower or Sleep in Portuguese: Vou + Verb

When "I'm going" doesn't mean leaving a place but doing something, in Portuguese we use "vou" + verb, with no "embora": "vou tomar banho" (I'm going to shower), "vou dormir" (I'm going to sleep) or "vou comer" (I'm going to eat). Here you're not saying goodbye, you're just announcing what's next.

• Tô cansado demais, vou tomar banho e dormir cedo hoje.
• Gente, vou dormir, amanhã acordo às seis.

This is the future form we use the most in Brazil, and I explain it step by step in how to conjugate verbs in the future tense in Portuguese. And if your "vou dormir" turned into a three-hour nap, see how to say I fell asleep in Portuguese.

Sentences with IR EMBORA (to Leave in Portuguese)

"Ir embora" is the verb we use in Brazil for "to leave", and it's conjugated just like the regular verb "ir": "eu vou embora", "ela foi embora", "eles vão embora". Don't mix it up with the connector "embora" (although): it's the same word with two different uses.

“Que eu não perca a vontade de ter grandes amigos, mesmo sabendo que, com as voltas do mundo, eles acabam indo embora de nossas vidas.”
― Ariano Suassuna

On KDFrases you'll find more examples with IR EMBORA.

Write down your favorite sentences in a notebook so you can review the content often.

Swear Words in Portuguese

If you've already learned "tô vazando" and "encher o saco", the next level of Brazilian slang is swear words. I'll tell you which ones are the most common in Brazil, how strong they sound and when it's better not to say them.

Learn the 10 most common swear words in Brazil.

How to Say I DON'T CARE

Different ways to say "I DON'T CARE" in Portuguese, from formal to informal.