salir bien
verbCEFR B1
What does “salir bien” mean in English?
to turn out well, to go well
to turn out well, to go well (outcome-focused: subject = the event / plan / recipe)
Example sentences
La entrevista salió muy bien; el entrevistador estaba muy atento y al final dijo que me llamaría antes del viernes.
The interview went very well; the interviewer was very attentive and at the end said he would call me before Friday.
Esperemos que la operación salga bien y que pueda volver a casa en pocos días sin complicaciones.
Let's hope the operation goes well and that she can go home in a few days without complications.
Al final el plan salió mejor de lo esperado, aunque al principio parecía que iba a ser un desastre.
In the end the plan turned out better than expected, even though at the beginning it seemed like it was going to be a disaster.
How to use it
Salir bien means 'to turn out well', 'to go well', or 'to come out right'. The subject is the event, plan, or result — not a person. A presentation salió bien (went well). A recipe salió bien (turned out right). Salir here is used in its outcome sense, not its physical sense of 'to leave'. Common adverbial modifiers: salir muy bien, salir bastante bien, salir mejor de lo esperado. The contrast pair is salir mal (to turn out badly). Closely related: ir bien (ongoing process going well) vs salir bien (final result coming out well).
Common mistake
Salir bien refers to outcome, not process. For ongoing process, use ir bien (las cosas van bien). Do not use *salir bueno — the adverb bien is required, not the adjective bueno. Also distinct from quedar bien (to look good / to leave a good impression), which focuses on appearance or perception rather than outcome.