Ways to say it
| Filipino | IPA |
|---|---|
| paalam | /paˈʔalam/ (Standard Tagalog) |
| babay | /ˈbabaj/ (Standard Tagalog) |
The word paalam is used to express a farewell. It can function as an utterance of goodbye or as a noun referring to the act of farewell itself. In spoken conversation, it is common to hear people use ingat to mean 'take care' or hanggang sa muli to mean 'until we meet again' as part of a parting.
Which one should you use?
paalam is the standard or formal way to express goodbye, often used in literature or when a departure is significant. In contrast, babay is an informal and colloquial version derived from the English 'bye-bye'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To make a farewell sound more natural and final in spoken conversation, you can add the particle na to create paalam na, meaning 'goodbye now'.
How do you pronounce it?
/paˈʔalam/
When do people say it?
When saying goodbye to close friends or family members, people may perform the beso-beso, a gesture where you lightly touch cheeks and make a kissing sound.
Did you know?
- The formal word paalam is built from the root alam, which means 'to know' or 'knowledge'. It literally translates to asking for 'permission' or 'knowledge' regarding one's departure.
Examples in context
- Bakit ka nasasabi ng paalam?Why are you saying goodbye?This sentence uses paalam to ask why someone is saying goodbye.Tatoeba #8276550 by jenardcabilao, translation #1126721 by CK
- Paalam na, Sayoko.Goodbye, Sayoko.This sentence uses paalam to bid farewell to a person.Tatoeba #11268439 by qwertzu, translation #54013 by CN
- Hanggang sa muli, paalam!Until then, goodbye!This sentence uses paalam as part of a phrase meaning 'Until then, goodbye!'
- Paalam po, salamat po sa inyong panahon.Goodbye, thank you for your time.
- Ingat ka palagi!Always take care!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are parting ways at a train station.
- AngelaPaalam, Juan.Goodbye, Juan.
- JuanPaalam, Angela. Ingat ka.Goodbye, Angela. Take care.
- AngelaSalamat. Magkita tayo ulit.Thank you. Let's see each other again.
- JuanOo, paalam na!Yes, goodbye now!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations and entries paalam, babay, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries babay, paalam, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
