au revoir
/o ʁə.vwaʁ/
In French, goodbye on the phone is expressed as au revoir.
au revoir is a standard expression used to end a telephone conversation. When hanging up during the day, it is very common and polite to follow au revoir with bonne journée (have a good day).
Which one should you use?
While au revoir is suitable for most phone calls, salut is used only with friends or family and can mean both 'hi' and 'bye'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
au revoir is a standard, polite way to end a phone call in both professional and neutral settings. For a more polite addition during the day, you can use bonne journée.
How do you pronounce it?
/o ʁə.vwaʁ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Note that allô is used to answer the phone, but it is never used as a way to say goodbye.
When do people say it?
If you wish to say 'Thank you and have a nice day,' you can say Je vous remercie et vous souhaite une agréable journée.
Did you know?
- The word au revoir is related to the Russian do svidánija and the Polish do zobaczenia.
Examples in context
- Au revoir, monsieur.Goodbye, sir.
- Merci, et au revoir.Thank you, and goodbye.
Example conversation
Chloé calls Hugo to confirm a meeting time.
- ChloéC'est parfait, merci beaucoup.That is perfect, thank you very much.
- HugoDe rien, Chloé.You're welcome, Chloé.
- ChloéAu revoir, Hugo.Goodbye, Hugo.
- HugoAu revoir.Goodbye.
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.
