There are many ways to say Goodbye in french other than Au revoir and Salut

It is important to express your good wishes when at the end of a conversation.

Whether it’s eight o’clock in the morning or eight o’clock at night, I always try to greet others before they have a chance to speak to me. – Zig Ziglar

As you probably already know, politeness is rather very important for people. For this particular reason, they always greet people when they enter a shop or even when they walk past people in the street (which can be quite surprising and unexpected at first!).

You’ve got this part of the French language and culture covered as you have learnt some basic French words to express your greetings by heart.

That’s great, but what about saying goodbye in French?

This is as essential as knowing how to say hello.

Whilst most French learners know that au revoir means goodbye in French, many don’t actually know that there are so many other ways to express this.

It’s good knowing all the various phrases to say goodbye but it’s not enough. You also have to know when to say which particular expression because, yes, as mad as it sounds, you could use the wrong one to end a conversation.

In this article, I will tell you about new, interesting and different ways to say goodbye in French.

C’est parti… Au revoir This is the most used and common way to say French Goodbye. It is acceptable to use it in formal and informal situations at whichever time of the day with friends or strangers. It literally means “until we see each other again”. It is pronounced Oh reh-vwah.

17 Ways to Say Goodbye in French

Bonne journée/bonne soirée

This means “have a nice day/have a nice evening”. It is a respectful way to end a conversation and it’s very commonly used in France especially when you leave a shop or a restaurant.

It can be used in any type of settings with people you know well or with total strangers. It is respectively pronounced Bun zhoor nay / Bun swah ray.

Bonsoir

This literally means “good evening”. It has a very similar meaning to bonne soirée and it is used in the same type of situations. It is pronounced Bun swah r.

A bientôt

It is pronounced Ah bee yen to and means “see you soon”. It is used either formally or casually when you’ll see the person soon but not on the same day (maybe the following month).

If you’re going to see the person sooner than that, you could say à très bientôt or à très vite.

A la prochaine

This expression is rather informal and should be used in casual situations with friends. It means “until next time”. You usually say it when you’re not exactly sure when you’ll see the person again. It is pronounced Ah la prosh-enne .

A demain

It is said A deh-mahn. It means “see you tomorrow” and you use it when you know for certain you’ll see the person tomorrow. It can be said in formal or informal situations.

A plus tard/A plus

This is a rather informal way of saying “see you later”. However, unlike “see you later” in English, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll see the person on the same day. It is pronounced Ah plue tahr.

Very informally, it is often shortened to à plus (or à + in letters/emails) which is said Ah pluss.

A tout à l’heure

This also means “see you later”. It is used in the same way as it is in English which is when you see a person later in the day. It is pronounced Ah too tah leuhr.

A tout de suite

This means “see you shortly”. You say this phrase when you are with someone and you have to go your separate way for a very short amount of time and you’ll meet again shortly after. For example, if you go out for something to eat with someone but need to go to the cash machine first, you could say “à tout de suite” to the person you will meet back at the restaurant once you will have been to the cash point. It is pronounced Ah too deh sweet.

Salut

It is said Sah-lou means and means “hi” as well as “bye”. It is very commonly used in casual situations. You’ll hear it very often!

Ciao

Another extremely used expression to say French goodbye in informal situations even though it’s not actually a French word. It’s Italian. It means “bye”. (I say it all the time!)

Adieu

Pronounced Ah d’yew, it is a sad word really as you should use it when you know for certain you won’t see the person again. It literally means “until God” so it basically means you won’t see the person until you both die and meet up again up in heaven… You’d say farewell in English.

Prends soin de toi

This means “take care of yourself”. You could say this when you’re saying goodbye in French to someone you particularly care for. It is pronounced prahn swa doo twah.

Bonne continuation

Pronounced bun kohn-teen-u-ah-see-ohn, this expression is used when you’re leaving someone you’re unlikely to meet again. It is rather formal and more used in a professional context. It means “good continuation” or “good luck”.

Ravi(e) de t’avoir (de vous avoir) rencontré(e)

This expression is the equivalent of the English phrase “it was nice meeting you”. Therefore, you should use it when you’re about to leave someone you saw for the first time. It is pronounced rahvee da-vwahr fay tah kohn-nay-sahns.

Je m’en vais

This means “I’m going” or “I’m out of here”. You should use this French goodbye phrase when you’re about to leave.

Je me casse/Je me tire

These two last ones are extremely colloquial (some would go as far as saying they are rude and offensive…). They have the same meaning as Je m’en vais. You shouldn’t use these expressions in a formal situation.

So here you have the most used expressions to say goodbye in French. You are now totally ready for your trip to France!

A très bientôt !

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