À plus tard
/a ply taʁ/
The French phrase for "see you later" is À plus tard.
À plus tard is used when you expect to see someone again later the same day. In informal settings, you might also use Salut to mean either "hi" or "bye" or use the informal phrase À tout à l'heure to mean "see you shortly".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase À plus tard literally translates to "To later", composed of the preposition à (to/until), the adverb plus (more) and the adverb tard (late).
Which one should you use?
While À plus tard implies a specific meeting or encounter later the same day, Au revoir is used as a more general "goodbye".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can use the colloquial, shortened version À plus among friends to mean "See ya" or "Later".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium, you can use the informal phrase À tantôt to say "see you later".
Did you know?
- In digital communication like texting or social media, French speakers often shorten À plus even further to just A+. The plus sign is read as the word plus, creating a visual pun.
- In very formal French, saying À plus tard might be considered too casual. A speaker might instead use Au plaisir de vous revoir, which translates to 'To the pleasure of seeing you again'.
- The word tard in À plus tard is derived from the Latin tarde, which shares the same root as the English word 'tardy'.
Examples in context
- À plus tard !See you later!This example shows how to use À plus tard as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #12709 by sacredceltic, translation #360558 by Kazune
- À plus tard, Marie !See you later, Mary!This example shows how to use À plus tard when addressing someone by name.Tatoeba #10692652 by AutoBot, translation #10692654 by AutoBot
- « Regarde l'heure ! Je vais être en retard à l'école ! À plus ! » « À plus tard. Sois prudent. »"Look at the time! I'm gonna be late for school! Bye!" "See you later. Be careful."This example shows a conversation where À plus tard is used as a response to a departure.Tatoeba #11343721 by Micsmithel, translation #1528071 by marshmallowcat
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are leaving a coffee shop.
- ChloéJe dois y aller, Nathan.I have to go, Nathan.
- NathanD'accord, Chloé. À plus tard !Okay, Chloé. See you later!
- ChloéÀ plus tard.See you later.
- NathanBonne fin de journée !Have a good rest of your day!
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry à plus tard.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries plus, tard, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
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