Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| bis bald | /bɪs balt/ |
| bis dann | /bɪs danː/ |
| wir sehen uns | /viːɐ̯ ˈzeː.ən ʊns/ (standard, word by word) |
bis bald translates to 'see you soon', while bis dann means 'until then'. You can also use the reflexive phrase wir sehen uns to say 'see you'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase bis bald literally means 'until soon', and bis dann literally means 'until then'. In these farewells, bis is a preposition meaning 'until'. The phrase wir sehen uns is a reflexive construction that literally means 'we see us'.
Which one should you use?
Use bis bald when you expect to see someone again in the near future. Use bis dann when a specific time or event for your next meeting has already been established.
How does it change in a sentence?
In these farewell phrases, bis functions as a preposition meaning 'until'.
When do people say it?
You can combine the sentiment of 'take care' with the anticipation of meeting again by saying 'Mach's gut und bis bald'.
Did you know?
- The word bald in bis bald is a linguistic cognate to the English word 'bold'.
- In very casual settings, Germans often shorten bis bald to just bis!, turning a preposition into a full farewell.
- While bis bald is friendly, using wir sehen uns can sometimes sound like a vague or non-committal promise depending on the tone of voice.
Examples in context
- Wir sehen uns dort.See you there.This example shows how to use wir sehen uns to specify a location.Tatoeba #6641210 by Felixjp, translation #1110494 by Scott
- Danke und bis bald!Thanks and see you soon!This example shows how to use bis bald as a friendly closing.Tatoeba #8447664 by Luiaard, translation #10250269 by Rawrren
- Wir sehen uns später.I'll see you later.This example shows how to use wir sehen uns to indicate a later time.Tatoeba #1342010 by Esperantostern, translation #32706 by CK
- 99 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Laura are leaving a coffee shop.
- JulianEs war schön, dich zu sehen, Laura.It was nice to see you, Laura.
- LauraGleichfalls, Julian. Bis bald!Likewise, Julian. See you soon!
- JulianJa, bis bald.Yes, see you soon.
- LauraTschüss!Bye!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see you” translations and entries bis bald, bis dann, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (wir, sehen, uns) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bald, bis, dann, sehen, wir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
