au revoir, à demain
The English phrase "bye, see you tomorrow" is expressed in French as au revoir, à demain.
This phrase is used as a casual way to say goodbye when you expect to see the person again the next day. You can specify the time of the meeting by adding matin, après-midi or soir to the end of the phrase (e.g., À demain matin). If you are saying goodbye in the evening and do not expect to see the person until the following day, you might instead use Bonne nuit, which means "good night".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase au revoir, à demain literally translates to "until the seeing again, to tomorrow".
Which one should you use?
While au revoir, à demain is the standard version, you can replace the first part with Salut for a more casual, friendly tone among peers or use Ciao (borrowed from Italian) or À plus to achieve a similar relaxed effect.
How does it change in a sentence?
The part à demain is a fixed prepositional phrase used to indicate the time of the next meeting.
Did you know?
- The word demain for 'tomorrow' is rooted in the idea of something ripening or maturing, coming from the Latin 'de mane' meaning 'in the morning'.
- While Salut is a common casual way to say 'bye', it is also used as a friendly way to say 'hello' when first meeting someone.
- The phrase À plus is a common slang shortcut for À plus tard, which means 'until later'.
Examples in context
- Au revoir, à demain !Goodbye, see you tomorrow!
- Bonne soirée, au revoir, à demain.Have a good evening, bye, see you tomorrow.
- Allez, au revoir, à demain au bureau.Alright, bye, see you tomorrow at the office.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are leaving the office for the day.
- HugoJ'ai fini mon travail, Chloé.I have finished my work, Chloé.
- ChloéMoi aussi, Hugo. On part ?Me too, Hugo. Shall we leave?
- HugoOui, au revoir, à demain !Yes, bye, see you tomorrow!
- ChloéÀ demain, bonne soirée !See you tomorrow, have a good evening!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries demain, revoir, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
