Ways to say it
| Polish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| do zobaczenia później | /dɔ‿zɔ.baˈt͡ʂɛ.ɲa ˈpuʑ.ɲɛj/ | |
| do zobaczenia | /dɔ‿zɔ.baˈt͡ʂɛ.ɲa/ | informal |
| na razie | /na‿ˈra.ʑɛ/ | |
| cześć | /ˈt͡ʂɛɕt͡ɕ/ /ˈt͡ʂɛɕ/ |
|
| nara | /ˈna.ra/ | colloquial |
While most of these focus on the concept of seeing someone again, some like na razie specifically mean "for now" and others like cześć are versatile enough to serve as both a greeting and a casual goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase do zobaczenia później is built from do (until), zobaczenia (seeing) and później (later), literally translating to "until seeing later". The phrase do zobaczenia literally means "until seeing" or "until we see each other".
Which one should you use?
Do zobaczenia is a common way to say "see you" and is slightly more informal than the full expression do zobaczenia później. In contrast, nara is a very casual, slangy way to say goodbye, similar to "later" or "peace out" in English, whereas na razie is used specifically to mean "for now" or "see you for now".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a standard informal departure, you can use do zobaczenia or do zobaczenia później. The word cześć is a versatile, informal word that works for both "hi" and "bye". For a very casual or slangy tone, you may use nara.
How do you pronounce it?
/dɔ‿zɔ.baˈtʂɛ.ɲa ˈpuʑ.ɲɛj/
Did you know?
- The word cześć used to mean 'honor' or 'glory' in Old Polish, which is why it carries such a strong, multi-purpose weight today.
- Even though it sounds like a standard parting, using cześć with a stranger might be seen as too informal or even disrespectful.
- Polish shares a similar conceptual structure for goodbye with languages like French and Italian by using a phrase that literally means 'until seeing' or 'until meeting'.
Examples in context
- Najwyższy czas już iść. Do zobaczenia później.It's high time to go. See you later.This sentence shows how to use do zobaczenia when leaving.Tatoeba #3095356 by jeedrek, translation #31383 by AlanF_US
- Do zobaczenia później.See you later!This sentence uses do zobaczenia as a standalone parting phrase.Tatoeba #550358 by Bilberry, translation #360558 by Kazune
- Do zobaczenia później!See you later.This sentence uses do zobaczenia to say goodbye.Tatoeba #2006005 by liori, translation #1841588 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Tomasz and Małgorzata are leaving a cafe.
- TomaszDzięki za kawę, Małgorzato.Thanks for the coffee, Małgorzata.
- MałgorzataNie ma problemu, Tomaszu.No problem, Tomasz.
- TomaszDo zobaczenia później!See you later!
- MałgorzataTak, do zobaczenia później!Yes, see you later!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see you later” translations and entries do zobaczenia później, do zobaczenia, na razie, cześć, nara, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cześć, do, do zobaczenia, na, na razie, zobaczenia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
