How to Say Goodbye in French: Au Revoir, Salut, À Bientôt, and More

Level: Beginner / A1

Category: Beginner French

Estimated reading time: 5–7 minutes

Related SeriousFrench path: Module 1

Saying goodbye in French is not only about memorizing au revoir.

French has several common good-bye expressions, and each one has a slightly different feeling. Some are formal. Some are casual. Some mean “see you soon,” “see you later,” or “see you tomorrow.”

This guide explains the most useful French good-byes for beginners, including au revoir, salut, à bientôt, à plus tard, à demain, and more.

The most standard way to say goodbye in French is:

You can use au revoir in many situations.

It works with:

• teachers
• classmates
• strangers
• shop workers
• professors
• coworkers
• people you know
• people you do not know well

Examples:

For beginners, au revoir is the safest general good-bye.

Is It “Au Revoir” or “Aurevoir”?

The correct spelling is:

au revoir

Two words.

Not:

aurevoir

The phrase comes from the idea of seeing someone again. You do not need to analyze the grammar deeply as a beginner, but you should remember the spelling:

au revoir

In casual texting, some people may type quickly or make spelling mistakes, but in correct French, it is written as two words.

Salut can mean both hi and bye.

This is casual and informal.

Use salut with:

• friends
• classmates
• people your age
• people you know well

Examples:

Do not use salut in very formal situations unless the tone is clearly relaxed.

For example, with a professor, au revoir is usually safer.

À bientôt means:

Use à bientôt when you expect or hope to see someone again soon.

Examples:

This phrase is friendly and common.

It can be used in casual or polite situations.

À plus tard means:

Use it when you expect to see the person later the same day or later in general.

Examples:

In casual speech or texting, French speakers often shorten it to:

À plus !

This means:

See you!

À plus is informal.

À demain means:

Use it when you know you will see or talk to someone tomorrow.

Examples:

Useful variations:

À tout à l’heure means something like:

This is usually used when you will see the person again later today.

Examples:

This phrase is very natural, but it can be a little long for beginners.

Start with:

À plus tard

À demain

À bientôt

Then add à tout à l’heure when you are ready.

Sometimes French good-byes include a good wish.

Examples:

Bonsoir is usually a greeting in the evening.

Bonne soirée is often used when leaving.

You can also say “see you” with a specific day or time.

Examples:

This is useful for school, work, classes, and regular meetings.

Mistake 1: Writing “aurevoir”

Correct:

au revoir

Not:

aurevoir

It is two words.

Mistake 2: Using salut in formal situations

Salut is casual.

With friends:

Salut !

With a professor or stranger:

Au revoir.

When in doubt, use au revoir.

Mistake 3: Confusing bonsoir and bonne soirée

Example:

Bonsoir, madame.

Good evening, ma’am.

Au revoir, bonne soirée.

Goodbye, have a good evening.

Mistake 4: Using bonne nuit too early

Bonne nuit means good night, but it is often used when someone is going to sleep or ending the night.

It is not always the normal way to leave a store or say goodbye in the evening.

For evening good-byes, use:

Bonne soirée.

Quick Practice

Choose the best French good-bye.

1. Goodbye, neutral and safe
2. Bye, informal
3. See you soon
4. See you tomorrow
5. Have a good day
6. Have a good evening
7. See you Monday
8. See you later

1. Au revoir
2. Salut
3. À bientôt
4. À demain
5. Bonne journée
6. Bonne soirée
7. À lundi
8. À plus tard

Where This Fits in SeriousFrench

This topic connects to Module 1 in the SeriousFrench course.

Module 1 introduces essential beginner French: greetings, names, simple personal questions, good-byes, good wishes, spelling, numbers, dates, articles, subject pronouns, and the verb être.

Good-byes belong near the beginning because they help you open and close simple conversations naturally.

Articles like this explain one specific French question. The SeriousFrench modules teach French in a structured order, step by step.

Continue Learning

If you are new to French, start with Module 1: Ça commence!

You will learn beginner French in order, with short lessons, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, audio, quizzes, and guided progression.

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