How to say goodbye in French in 45 useful ways

Saying goodbye the right way is very important in any language and part of any cultural etiquette.

Whether you are networking with potential business partners in Genève, meeting a new friend in Montréal, or just being polite in a French vegetable store, this is one of the first things you will, and should, learn.

Saying goodbye might be equally, or even more important, than saying hello. After all, it’s your chance to make a positive, long lasting impression… or to make a terrible faux pas ! Just joking, you should never be afraid to speak a foreign language, even if you make mistakes! In the worst case, everyone will have a good laugh.

But to set you off on a great start and avoid awkward situations, we have compiled more than 40 ways to say goodbye in French.

Allez, on y va !

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How to say goodbye in French

Let’s start with the most common and generic ways to say bye in French. You can use the expression and words below in practically any circumstances, but we specify the context just in case. Pratique, non ?

English French French pronunciation Context
Goodbye. Au revoir. oh ruh-vwar All purpose
Bye. Salut. sah-luh Informal
Goodbye, until next time. Au revoir, à la prochaine. oh ruh-vwar, ah-la-pro-shen All purpose
See you soon. À bientôt. ah-be-uhn-toh All purpose
Goodbye, have a nice day. Au revoir, bonne journée. oh ruh-vwar, bun-jour-neh All purpose
Have a good night. Bonne nuit. bun-new-ee All purpose
Good afternoon. Bon après-midi. bun-ah-prey-me-dee All purpose
Good evening. Bonne soirée or Bonsoir. bun-swar–eh or bun-swar All purpose
See you later. À plus tard. ah-plu-tar All purpose
Later. À plus or À +. ah-plews Informal
See you in a bit. À tout de suite or À tout à l’heure. ah-too-duh-sweet or ah-too-tah-lure All purpose
See you tomorrow. À demain. ah-demahn All purpose
Until we meet again. Au plaisir. oh-pleh-zir All purpose
See you on Monday. À lundi. ah-lund-ee Can be used with any day of the week.
Take care. Prends soin de toi or Fais attention à toi prahn-swahn-duh-twah or fey-ah-tahn-cion-ah-twah Informal
Say hi to your dad for me. Passe le bonjour à ton père. pass-leuh-bon-jour-ah-tahn-pear Informal
Kisses. Bisous or Bises. bee-zoo or beez Informal
Let’s call each other. On s’appelle. uhn-sa-pelle All purpose
Let’s keep in touch. On se tient au courant. uhn-su-tiuhn-oh-coo-rahn All purpose
Hugs and kisses. Je t’embrasse. juh-tahn-brass Informal
Good luck. Bon courage. bun-coo-hage All purpose
I’m leaving. J’y vais. gee-vey All purpose

How to say goodbye in French formally

Woman says goodby in French formally.

French is a rather formal language. Choosing between “tu” and “vous” is already a challenge for English speakers. But don’t worry, we have you covered with these ways of saying goodbye in French formally. This article on How to say thank you and you’re welcome in French can also be helpful.

Je vous en prie !

English French Pronunciation
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

How to say goodbye in French slang

Slang is always a great way to make friends and sound like a local. We have compiled a few expressions to say bye in French slang. Love slang? Don’t miss these 275 French slang words!

English French French 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

How to sign off in an email in French.

Using the proper term to say goodbye in French is especially important in writing, since the intonation component, facial expression and body languages are not there to support what you want to convey. Whether it’s a business email or a friendly message, the expressions below are sure to help.

Man writes a sign off email in French.

English French French pronunciation Context
Kind regards. Bien cordialement. be-uhn-cor-dia-luh-mont Formal (friendly)
Best regards. Cordialement. cor-dia-luh-mont Formal
Yours faithfully. Mes salutations respectueuses. meh-sah-luh-tah-cion-res-pec-too-uhz Formal
Distinguished salutations. Mes salutations distinguées. meh-sah-luh-tah-cion-dees-tahn-gey Formal
Affectionately. Affectueusement. ah-feck-too-uh-zuh-mont Informal
Sincere regards. Amitiés sincères ah-mee-tieh-sahn-sare Informal
Yours. Bien à vous or Bien à toi beeuhn-nah-voo or beeuhn-nah-tuwah Formal (vous), informal (toi)

Ways to say goodbye in French borrowed from other languages

Les Français are very protective of their beautiful “ langue de Molière ”. However, with globalization and the normal evolution of language, some foreign expressions managed to sneak in the French “spoken” dictionary.

Here are a few common ways to say goodbye in French that have been borrowed from other languages.

English French French pronunciation Context
Bye. Bye. Same as English All purpose
Bye. Bye bye. Same as English Informal
Bye. Ciao or Tchao or Tch’ô. chow All purpose
See you soon. Hasta la vista. hasta la vista Formal
I’m leaving. J’y go. gee-goh All purpose

The best songs to say goodbye in French

Sometimes, words are not enough to express feelings. Heureusement, music can help!

Je suis venu te dire que je m’en vais, Serge Gainsbourg

A mythic French song about a painful break up.

Au revoir, Gilbert Bécaud

A poetical song about the passing of time.

Puisque tu pars, Jean-Jacques Goldman

A beautiful, heartfelt song about farewell from one of the most popular French singers/songwriters.

Au revoir, Daniel Balavoine

A classic goodbye song from a French artist who said goodbye too soon.

Au revoir, Bigflo et Oli

A modern, rap song from this popular duo who reflects on their life and career.

Au revoir, à la prochaine

Do you find French very difficile? Don’t say au revoir to French learning just yet. You can start with small steps, such as learning the French alphabet. And we couldn’t finish this article on how to say goodbye in French without the famous, célébrissime farewell from former French president Valéry Giscard d’Estain.

Sur ce, à bientôt les amis !

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