au revoir
/o ʁə.vwaʁ/
The English phrase 'goodbye formally' is translated into French as au revoir.
au revoir is a polite way to say goodbye when you expect to see the person again. It is the most common way to say goodbye formally in French.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means 'to the re-seeing'.
Which one should you use?
While au revoir is the standard polite way to say goodbye, salut is a much more casual alternative used with friends and family.
How do you pronounce it?
/o ʁə.vwaʁ/
When do people say it?
When leaving someone during the daytime, you can say Bonne journée (have a good day). If you are bidding farewell in the evening, it is appropriate to say Bonne soirée (have a good evening).
Did you know?
- French shares a similar logical structure for farewells with Slavic languages like Russian and Polish, which also use a form of 'until seeing' to say goodbye.
- In highly formal service settings, like a luxury hotel, staff might use even more elaborate phrases than au revoir to signal respect.
- The word voir in au revoir is a direct relative of the English word 'vision' and the verb 'view'.
Examples in context
- Merci beaucoup, au revoir.Thank you very much, goodbye.
- Au revoir, à demain.Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
Example conversation
A client is leaving a professional office.
- GabrielMerci pour votre aide, au revoir.Thank you for your help, goodbye.
- EmmaJe vous en prie, Monsieur.You are welcome, sir.
- GabrielBonne journée, au revoir.Have a good day, goodbye.
- EmmaMerci, au revoir, Monsieur.Thank you, goodbye, sir.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry au revoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries au revoir, revoir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
