Saying goodbye in French is as important as saying hello. After all, this is your opportunity to make a positive and long-lasting impression. You should never be afraid to speak a foreign language, no matter how many mistakes you make. Keep practicing until you become a fluent speaker.

Saying ‘goodbye’ in French is as important as saying ‘hello’. There are several ways to say goodbye in French depending on the nature of the situation. In this guide, we will explore all of those prominent ways along with their contextual usage.

Let’s start with the most common and generic French goodbyes. The expression and words below can be used in almost any situation, but we specify the context just in case.

EnglishFrenchFrench pronunciationContext
Goodbye.Au revoir.oh ruh-vwarAll purpose
Bye.Salut.sah-luhInformal
Goodbye, until next time.Au revoir, à la prochaine.oh ruh-vwar, ah-la-pro-shenAll purpose
See you soon.À bientôt.ah-be-uhn-tohAll purpose
Goodbye, have a nice day.Au revoir, bonne journée.oh ruh-vwar, bun-jour-nehAll purpose
Have a good night.Bonne nuit.bun-new-eeAll purpose
Good afternoon.Bon après-midi.bun-ah-prey-me-deeAll purpose
Good evening.Bonne soirée or Bonsoir.bun-swar–eh or bun-swarAll purpose
See you later.À plus tard.ah-plu-tarAll purpose
Later.À plus or À +.ah-plewsInformal
See you in a bit.À tout de suite or À tout à l’heure.ah-too-duh-sweet or ah-too-tah-lureAll purpose
See you tomorrow.À demain.ah-demahnAll purpose
Until we meet again.Au plaisir.oh-pleh-zirAll purpose
See you on Monday.À lundi.ah-lund-eeCan be used with any day of the week.
Take care.Prends soin de toi or Fais attention à toiprahn-swahn-duh-twah or fey-ah-tahn-cion-ah-twahInformal
Say hi to your dad for me.Passe le bonjour à ton père.pass-leuh-bon-jour-ah-tahn-pearInformal
Kisses.Bisous or Bises.bee-zoo or beezInformal
Let’s call each other.On s’appelle.uhn-sa-pelleAll purpose
Let’s keep in touch.On se tient au courant.uhn-su-tiuhn-oh-coo-rahnAll purpose
Hugs and kisses.Je t’embrasse.juh-tahn-brassInformal
Good luck.Bon courage.bun-coo-hageAll purpose
I’m leaving.J’y vais.gee-veyAll purpose

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Goodbye in formal situations

French is an extremely formal language. Choosing between “tu” and “vous” is difficult enough for English speakers. But don’t worry, we have got you covered with these formal ways to say goodbye in French.

EnglishFrenchPronunciation
Looking forward to seeing you again.Au plaisir de vous revoir.oh-pleh-zir-duh-vou-ruh-vwar
Farewell.Adieu.ah-diuh
Nice to have met you.Ravi(e) d’avoir fait votre connaissance.rah-vee-dah-vwar-fey-vot-co-ney-sahns
All the best.Bonne continuation.bun-cohn-tee-new-ah-see-uhn

Goodbye in French slang

Slang is a great way to meet new people and sound like a local. We have compiled a list of French slang phrases for saying goodbye. In case you are wondering, how long does it take to learn French, know that it mainly depends on how much time you devote to learning. Set up a learning schedule and stick to it.

EnglishFrenchFrench pronunciation
Let’s keep in touch.On se tient au jus.uhn-suh-tiuhn-oh-jew
Later in the bus.À plus dans l’bus.ah-plus-dahnl-boose
I’m out of here.Je me casse or Je me tire.Juh-muh-cahs or juh-muh-teer
See you.À la revoyure.ah-lah-ruh-vwar-ure
See ya.À tout’.ah-toot
See you again.À un de ces quatre.ah-uhn-duh-seh-catre
Let’s call each other and go to eat.On s’appelle on s’fait une bouffe.uhn-sah-pell-uhn-sfey-uhn-bewf

Appropriate ways to sign off in emails

Using the correct term to say goodbye in French is especially important when writing, because intonation, facial expression, and body language are not present to support your message. The expressions below are sure to help, whether it’s a business email or a friendly message.

EnglishFrenchFrench pronunciationContext
Kind regards.Bien cordialement.be-uhn-cor-dia-luh-montFormal (friendly)
Best regards.Cordialement.cor-dia-luh-montFormal
Yours faithfully.Mes salutations respectueuses.meh-sah-luh-tah-cion-res-pec-too-uhzFormal
Distinguished salutations.Mes salutations distinguées.meh-sah-luh-tah-cion-dees-tahn-geyFormal
Affectionately.Affectueusement.ah-feck-too-uh-zuh-montInformal
Sincere regards.Amitiés sincèresah-mee-tieh-sahn-sareInformal
Yours.Bien à vous or Bien à toibeeuhn-nah-voo or beeuhn-nah-tuwahFormal (vous), informal (toi)

Ways to say goodbye in French borrowed from other languages

The French are extremely protective of their lovely ” langue de Molière “. However, as a result of globalization and the natural evolution of language, some foreign expressions have made their way into the French “spoken” dictionary.

Here are a few phrases borrowed from other languages that are commonly used to say goodbye in French.

EnglishFrenchFrench pronunciationContext
Bye.Bye.Same as EnglishAll purpose
Bye.Bye bye.Same as EnglishInformal
Bye.Ciao or Tchao or Tch’ô.chowAll purpose
See you soon.Hasta la vista.hasta la vistaFormal
I’m leaving.J’y go.gee-gohAll purpose

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is a French farewell?

A. This is the most common way of saying goodbye in French, and it’s acceptable for the vast majority of situations, formal and informal. It literally means “until we each see each other again.

Q. Does Ciao mean goodbye in French?

A. “Ciao!” comes from Italian and means bye. It’s very informal and used mainly between friends and people you already know very well. Ciao is very common and equates to “salut!” for saying goodbye.

Final words

Learning different phrases to say goodbye in French can help you carry out several formal and informal conversations. If you want to be good at French, try to expand your vocabulary, and improve French grammar and sentence structure.

Learning different phrases such as thank you, sorry, goodbye and you are welcome in French can help you build courteous relationships. If you are a French learner, check out italki and find a suitable teacher for yourself!

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