à plus tard
/a ply taʁ/
The English phrase "see ya later" is translated into French as à plus tard.
À plus tard is an informal way to say goodbye when you expect to see the person again soon. It is a common alternative to the standard goodbye Au revoir and differs from À bientôt, which means "see you soon".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the preposition à (to/at), the adverb plus (more) and the adverb tard (late).
Which one should you use?
In very casual spoken French, à plus tard is often shortened to just à plus to mean "see ya".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While à plus tard is common, it is slightly more casual than au revoir and is best used with people you already know or in relaxed settings. For an even more informal approach, you can use salut, which is a versatile word used for both "hello" and "goodbye" in informal situations.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Québec, Canada, the informal phrase à tantôt is used to mean "see you later". In Belgium, the informal expression on se dit à tout à l'heure means "we'll say see you in a little while".
How do you pronounce it?
/a ply taʁ/
Did you know?
- The word salut was originally a formal wish for 'salvation' or 'safety' before it became a casual way to say 'hi' or 'bye'.
- The word tard comes from the Latin 'tarde', which is also the ancestor of the English word 'tardy'.
- French uses the preposition à in many goodbye phrases, such as à demain for 'see you tomorrow' and à la prochaine for 'until next time'.
Examples in context
- C'était super de vous voir ! À plus tard !It was great seeing you! See ya later!
- À plus tard !See ya later!
- On se voit, à plus tard.We'll see each other, see ya later.
- D'accord, à plus tard pour le café.Okay, see ya later for coffee.
Example conversation
Chloé and Lucas are leaving a cafe together.
- ChloéC'était super, merci Lucas !That was great, thanks Lucas!
- LucasDe rien, on se voit demain.You're welcome, we'll see each other tomorrow.
- ChloéOui, à plus tard !Yes, see ya later!
- LucasSalut Chloé !Bye Chloé!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry à plus tard, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries plus, tard, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
