since they both =x, set them equal to each other 4y+8= -5y -1
then add 5y to both sides 9y + 8 = -1
subtract 8 from both sides 9y = -9
divide both sides by 9 and y= -1
then put -1 into y for either equation to get x
x = 4(-1) + 8 then x = 4
solution is (4, -1)