au revoir
/o ʁə.vwaʁ/
In French, au revoir means goodbye.
au revoir is a common formal expression that can be used in any situation.
Meaning: Translations (intj)
Which one should you use?
While au revoir is formal and implies a certain level of distance or politeness, salut is used among friends and is much more casual.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
au revoir is the standard, polite way to say goodbye in most social and professional situations. In contrast, if you are in an informal setting, you might use salut, à plus !, on se retrouve bientôt or à tout à l'heure.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the informal farewells Salut bye and Bye bye are common.
How do you pronounce it?
/o ʁə.vwaʁ/
When do people say it?
Depending on the time of day, you can expand your farewells. For example, Je vous souhaite une bonne journée is a polite way to bid farewell during the daytime, while Passez une excellente soirée is used when saying goodbye in the evening.
Did you know?
- Unlike the English word 'goodbye', which evolved from 'God be with ye', au revoir focuses entirely on the visual act of seeing the person again.
- In France, it is customary to accompany au revoir with a handshake in professional settings or la bise (cheek kisses) among friends and family.
- The phrase au revoir has distant cognates in Slavic languages, such as the Russian do svidánija and Polish do zobaczenia, which both translate to 'until seeing'.
Examples in context
- Au revoir, tout le monde.Goodbye, everyone.
- Je dois partir, au revoir.I have to leave, goodbye.
- Au revoir et bonne journée.Goodbye and have a nice day.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Léa are leaving a coffee shop.
- GabrielMerci pour le café, Léa.Thanks for the coffee, Léa.
- LéaDe rien, Gabriel. Au revoir !You're welcome, Gabriel. Goodbye!
- GabrielAu revoir, à bientôt.Goodbye, see you soon.
- LéaÀ bientôt !See you soon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “au revoir” translations and entries au revoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries au revoir, revoir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
