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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Ready to learn many different ways to say bye in French? Download this free poster.
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, Ă 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 Ă 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
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.
| 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 Ă vous or Bien Ă 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 BĂ©caud
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, Ă 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, Ă bientĂ´t les amis !
