How to Say “To Good Bye” in French

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dire au revoir
The French phrase for 'to good bye' is dire au revoir.
The verb phrase dire au revoir means to say a farewell to someone when leaving. In practice, the most common and widely used way to say goodbye is simply to say Au revoir, which means 'goodbye' or 'see you later'.

Which one should you use?

While dire au revoir is used for standard departures where you expect to see the person again, adieu implies a much more permanent or final separation, translating to 'farewell'. Other options include À bientôt for 'see you soon' and À plus, which is a shortened form of à plus tard meaning 'see you later'. Depending on the time of day, you might say bonne soirée for 'good evening' or bonne journée for 'have a good day'.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

Salut is an informal way to say both 'hi' and 'bye', suited for friends and peers. Ciao, borrowed from Italian, is also used as a casual way to say goodbye. In contrast, adieu is a more formal and slightly dramatic way to say goodbye, implying a final farewell.

How does it change in a sentence?

When used as a standalone greeting or farewell, the infinitive dire is dropped and you simply say au revoir.

When do people say it?

When saying goodbye, French speakers often choose their phrase based on the expected duration of the separation or the time of day. For instance, one might use bonne soirée if leaving someone in the evening or bonne journée during the day.

Did you know?

  • The phrase au revoir literally translates to 'until the seeing again', where revoir comes from the verb 'to see again'.
  • In some regions of France, particularly in the south, speakers may use the Italian loanword ciao more frequently than in the north.

Examples in context

  • Au revoir, Madame Dupont. À la prochaine fois!
    Goodbye, Mrs. Dupont. Until next time!
  • Adieu, mon ami. Je te souhaite bonne chance.
    Farewell, my friend. I wish you good luck.
  • À bientôt, Monsieur Lambert. Passez une excellente journée!
    See you soon, Mr. Lambert. Have a great day!
  • Salut, ça va? On se voit demain!
    Hi, how are you? See you tomorrow!
  • Ciao, les gars! À plus tard!
    Bye, guys! See you later!
  • On se revoit demain, à plus!
    See you tomorrow, see you later!
  • Je dois dire au revoir à mes amis.
    I have to say goodbye to my friends.
  • Il est temps de dire au revoir.
    It is time to say goodbye.
  • Elle a oublié de dire au revoir.
    She forgot to say goodbye.

Example conversation

Manon and Gabriel are leaving a coffee shop.

  1. Manon

    Il est tard, je vais dire au revoir à tout le monde.
    It is late, I am going to say goodbye to everyone.
  2. Gabriel

    D'accord, on se voit demain alors.
    Okay, see you tomorrow then.
  3. Manon

    Oui, au revoir Gabriel !
    Yes, goodbye Gabriel!
  4. Gabriel

    Au revoir Manon, à demain.
    Goodbye Manon, see you tomorrow.

Sources

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Kim Ethel
Kim EthelHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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