à bientôt
/a bjɛ̃.to/
In French, the phrase "I will see you soon" is translated as à bientôt.
à bientôt is a friendly way to say goodbye when you expect to meet the person again in the near future.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition à (to/at) and the adverb bientôt (soon).
Which one should you use?
While à bientôt implies seeing someone again in a short, unspecified time, à plus tard is used when the meeting will happen later in the same day or at a more definite later time.
How do you pronounce it?
/a bjɛ̃.to/
Did you know?
- While English speakers say 'see you soon', the French phrase à bientôt literally translates to 'to soon'. It does not include the verb 'to see' at all.
- The word bientôt is built from bien meaning 'well' or 'very' and tôt meaning 'early', essentially describing the time as being 'very early'.
- While à bientôt is friendly, saying it to someone you do not actually intend to see again can be perceived as a polite social fiction, similar to the English 'let's do lunch'.
Examples in context
- Je dois partir maintenant, mais à bientôt !I have to leave now, but see you soon!
- Merci pour votre aide. Au revoir et à bientôt !Thank you for your help. Goodbye and see you soon!
- Nous avons passé un excellent moment ensemble. J'espère te/vous revoir bientôt !We had a great time together. I hope to see you soon!
- La soirée était géniale ! On se voit bientôt ?The party was awesome! Will we see each other soon?
- Merci pour l'invitation, à bientôt !Thanks for the invitation, see you soon!
- Je dois partir, à bientôt.I have to go, see you soon.
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are leaving a cafe.
- HugoC'était super de te voir, Manon.It was great to see you, Manon.
- ManonMoi aussi, Hugo !Me too, Hugo!
- HugoOn se voit samedi alors ?We'll see each other Saturday then?
- ManonOui, à bientôt !Yes, see you soon!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry à bientôt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bientôt, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
