Want to know how to say “goodbye” in French? Learning how to say farewell in French is a good way to end your conversations naturally in the French language. Below, you’ll learn how to say “goodbye” in French as well as other expressions to use when parting ways with native speakers. Want to learn more words and phrases in French? Try Drops!
In French, au revoir is a common way you’ll hear people say “goodbye” in French and its acceptable in most situations--both formal and informal. Literally, it means “until we see each other again.”
Salut is a versatile expression in French. You can use it to say either “hello” or “bye” in French. It’s a very casual way to say “bye” in French, so be sure you don’t use it in formal situations!
Do you plan on seeing someone tomorrow? If so, you can use à demain to say “see you tomorrow”.
If you would like to tell someone that you’ll see them soon, you can use bis bald. Bis means “till” and bald means “soon”. It’s okay to use in both formal and informal situations.
À tout de suite means “see you soon”, but with more immediately. In a way, it also means “see you in a moment.” So, for example, if you were chatting with a French colleague by their desk but needed to leave to prepare for a meeting starting shortly that you’ll both attend, you could use this phrase.
In addition to saying “see you soon”, you can also say “see you later” in French. This is à tout à l’heure, but you can also use...
À plus tard means “see you later” in French, but it can be shortened to à plus and in written communication, you may even see it as A+. This is slightly more informal than the à tout à l’heure.
This farewell has Italian origins, but it’s a word that French, along with many other languages, like German, has borrowed.
If you want a way to “see you later” or “see you next time” to someone you see on a regular basis, but you aren’t sure when you’ll see them next, you can use à la prochaine.
To say “I’m taking off” or “I’m going to go” in French, you would use je m’en vais. It’s slightly informal, but it’s a great way to tell someone “I’m going to get going”.
Parting ways during the day? Tell the person you’re leaving “have a good day”, letting them know you’d like them to enjoy the rest of their day. If you’d like to say “have a good night” or “enjoy your evening” you can use the expression bonne soirée. These expressions are acceptable in both formal and informal situations and you’ll often hear them used as you’re leaving stores or restaurants.
If you’d like to add a little extra familiarity to them, you can add Monsieur (“Mr.” or “sir”), Madame (“Mrs.”), or Mademoiselle (“Miss”). So, for example, “Bonne journée, Monsieur.” means “Have a good day, sir.”
This phrase literally means “I break myself”, but you use it to say you’re heading off in French. This phrase is very informal and would be best used with friends and not with family, co-workers or strangers.
English speakers might be familiar with the expression “I bid you adieu.” In French, this has slightly more finality to it. You’d most likely use it when you know you’ll never see them again. It literally means “to God” and is the most formal of goodbyes on this list.
In French, you can use à followed by almost any time word to let someone know when you’ll next see them. So, for example, you could see à lundi is “see you Monday” and à dimanche is “see you Sunday”.
Want to learn more words and phrases in French? Try Drops!
