1.4. Au revoir | Serious French

Saying Good-bye | Serious French

1.4.1. The Main Idea

To say good-bye in French, use expressions such as au revoir, salut, à bientôt, and à plus tard.

Au revoir.	Goodbye.
Salut.	Bye. informal
À bientôt.	See you soon.
À plus tard.	See you later.

Use au revoir in most polite everyday situations. Use salut with friends, classmates, family, or people you know well.

1.4.2. Basic Good-byes

Au revoir.	Goodbye.
Salut.	Bye. informal
À bientôt.	See you soon.
À plus tard.	See you later.
À tout à l’heure.	See you in a little while.
À demain.	See you tomorrow.
À la prochaine.	See you next time.

1.4.3. Formal and Informal Good-byes

Use au revoir in formal or polite situations.

Au revoir, monsieur.	Goodbye, sir.
Au revoir, madame.	Goodbye, ma’am.
Au revoir, professeur.	Goodbye, professor.
Au revoir, bonne journée.	Goodbye, have a good day.

Use salut or à plus in casual situations.

Salut !	Bye!
À plus !	See you! casual
À plus tard !	See you later!
À demain !	See you tomorrow!

1.4.4. Saying When You Will See Someone Again

Use à + time expression to say see you…

À bientôt.	See you soon.
À plus tard.	See you later.
À tout à l’heure.	See you in a little while.
À demain.	See you tomorrow.
À lundi.	See you Monday.
À ce soir.	See you tonight.
À la semaine prochaine.	See you next week.

1.4.5. Wishing Someone a Good Day or Evening

Bonne journée.	Have a good day.
Bonne soirée.	Have a good evening.
Bonne nuit.	Good night.
Bon après-midi.	Have a good afternoon.
Bon week-end.	Have a good weekend.
Bonne semaine.	Have a good week.

Important difference:

Bonjour.	Hello. / Good morning. / Good afternoon.
Bonne journée.	Have a good day.
Bonsoir.	Good evening.
Bonne soirée.	Have a good evening.
Bonne nuit.	Good night, usually before sleeping.

1.4.6. Wishing Someone Well

Bonne chance !	Good luck!
Bon courage !	Good luck! / Hang in there!
Bon voyage !	Have a good trip!
Amuse-toi bien !	Have fun! informal
Amusez-vous bien !	Have fun! formal or plural
Repose-toi bien !	Rest well! informal
Reposez-vous bien !	Rest well! formal or plural
Prends soin de toi.	Take care of yourself. informal
Prenez soin de vous.	Take care of yourself / yourselves. formal or plural

1.4.7. Responding to Good-byes and Good Wishes

Merci.	Thank you.
Merci beaucoup.	Thank you very much.
Merci, toi aussi.	Thanks, you too. informal
Merci, vous aussi.	Thanks, you too. formal or plural
À toi aussi.	Same to you. informal
À vous aussi.	Same to you. formal or plural
D’accord, à bientôt.	Okay, see you soon.
À demain !	See you tomorrow!

1.4.8. Leaving a Conversation Politely

Je dois partir.	I have to leave.
Je dois y aller.	I have to go.
Il faut que je parte.	I have to leave.
Je vais partir.	I am going to leave.
On se voit plus tard.	We’ll see each other later.
On se parle bientôt.	We’ll talk soon.

1.4.9. Tu or Vous?

Use informal expressions with friends, classmates, family, or people you know well.

Salut !	Bye!
À plus !	See you!
Amuse-toi bien !	Have fun!
Repose-toi bien !	Rest well!
Prends soin de toi.	Take care of yourself.

Use formal or plural expressions with professors, strangers, workers, older people, or groups.

Au revoir.	Goodbye.
Bonne journée.	Have a good day.
Amusez-vous bien !	Have fun!
Reposez-vous bien !	Rest well!
Prenez soin de vous.	Take care of yourself / yourselves.

1.4.10. Core Patterns

Au revoir.	Goodbye.
Salut.	Bye. informal
À bientôt.	See you soon.
À plus tard.	See you later.
À demain.	See you tomorrow.
Bonne journée.	Have a good day.
Bonne soirée.	Have a good evening.
Bonne nuit.	Good night.
Je dois partir.	I have to leave.
Merci, toi aussi.	Thanks, you too.

1.4.11. Practice

Goodbye.
Bye. informal
See you soon.
See you later.
See you tomorrow.
Have a good day.
Have a good evening.
Good night.
I have to leave.
Thanks, you too. informal

1.4.12. Answers

Goodbye.	Au revoir.
Bye. informal	Salut.
See you soon.	À bientôt.
See you later.	À plus tard.
See you tomorrow.	À demain.
Have a good day.	Bonne journée.
Have a good evening.	Bonne soirée.
Good night.	Bonne nuit.
I have to leave.	Je dois partir.
Thanks, you too. informal	Merci, toi aussi.

1.4.13. Short Dialogue

A : Je dois partir.	A: I have to leave.
B : D’accord. À plus tard !	B: Okay. See you later!
A : À plus tard. Bonne journée !	A: See you later. Have a good day!
B : Merci, toi aussi !	B: Thanks, you too!

1.4.14. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to say good-bye formally and informally, say when you will see someone again, wish someone a good day or evening, respond naturally to good wishes, and leave a conversation politely.