бувай
buvai
бувай (buvai) is the Ukrainian way to say bye.
бувай is a friendly and colloquial way to bid farewell in Ukrainian, serving as a short form of goodbye.
Meaning: short for goodbye (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is the imperative singular form of the verb бувати, which means 'to be' or 'to happen'. In this context, it is used as a wish for the person to 'be well' or simply as 'farewell'.
Which one should you use?
While бувай is casual, до побачення is the standard formal way to say goodbye in most social or professional settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
бувай is an informal way to say goodbye, typically used with friends, family or peers. For formal situations, the phrase До побачення is the common way to say goodbye.
How do you pronounce it?
buvai
Did you know?
- In many Ukrainian songs, the word бувай is used to evoke a sense of melancholy or a permanent, tragic separation, rather than just a casual end to a conversation.
- In traditional village settings, a goodbye might be accompanied by the phrase з Богом, meaning 'with God', which serves as both a greeting and a farewell.
- While бувай is common, Ukrainians often use па-па as an even more casual way to say 'bye'. This onomatopoeic expression is shared with Russian and is frequently used when speaking to children.
Examples in context
- "Бувай." – "Скоро побачимося.""Bye." "See you soon."This example shows a response to the word бувай.Tatoeba #11653496 by deniko, translation #11650540 by carlosalberto
- Бувай!Bye!This example shows the use of бувай as an exclamation.Tatoeba #493532 by aandrusiak, translation #647456 by Hans07
- Бувай.Bye.This example shows the use of бувай as a standard farewell.Tatoeba #5832413 by deniko, translation #1903709 by AsliAbbasi
- До побачення! Сподіваюсь, ми зустрінемося знову.Goodbye! I hope we meet again.
- До зустрічі! Було дуже приємно познайомитися.Goodbye! It was very nice to meet you.
- Бувайте всі здорові! До зустрічі!Take care, everyone! See you soon!
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are parting ways after a coffee date.
- Андрій AndriiБувай, Маріє, до зустрічі!Buvay, Mariye, do zustrichi!Bye, Maria, see you!
- Марія MariiaДякую, Андрію, до зустрічі.Dyakuyu, Andriyu, do zustrichi.Thanks, Andriy, see you.
- Андрій AndriiГарного тобі дня!Harnoho tobi dnya!Have a nice day!
- Марія MariiaБувай!Buvay!Bye!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
