au revoir, mon amour
The English phrase "goodbye, my love" is translated into French as au revoir, mon amour.
This is a romantic way to say goodbye to a partner or someone you love.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase au revoir literally means "until seeing again", where au means "to the" and revoir means "seeing again".
Which one should you use?
You may use adieu, mon amour if the goodbye is intended to be a permanent or final parting. For an even more definitive and formal way to imply a long separation, you can use Adieu, mon cher amour.
Did you know?
- In romantic French contexts, mon amour can be used for both men and women, regardless of the gender of the speaker.
- The word amour avoided the expected phonetic evolution into ameur because it was likely influenced by Old Occitan, a separate Romance language spoken in southern France.
- While au revoir is a standard goodbye, using adieu for a romantic partner can be chilling, as it traditionally implies you will never see them again in this life.
Examples in context
- Adieu, mon cher amour. Je compte les jours jusqu'à notre prochaine rencontre.Adieu, my dear love. I am counting the days until our next meeting.
- Je pars, au revoir, mon amour.I'm leaving, goodbye, my love.
- À bientôt, au revoir, mon amour.See you soon, goodbye, my love.
Example conversation
Gabriel is leaving for a business trip and kissing Emma goodbye.
- GabrielJe dois partir maintenant.I have to leave now.
- EmmaTu vas me manquer.I will miss you.
- GabrielAu revoir, mon amour.Goodbye, my love.
- EmmaReviens vite.Come back soon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries amour, mon, revoir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
