16.2. À bientôt !

More About Taking Leave of People and Wishing Them Well

16.2.1. The Main Idea

To take leave of people in French, use expressions such as au revoir, à bientôt, à plus tard, and bonne journée.

Au revoir.	Goodbye.
À bientôt.	See you soon.
À plus tard.	See you later.
Bonne journée.	Have a good day.

These expressions help you end a conversation politely, warmly, or casually.

16.2.2. Basic Goodbyes

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 lundi.	See you Monday.
À la prochaine.	See you next time.

16.2.3. 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.

Use bon with masculine nouns and bonne with feminine nouns.

bon week-end	good weekend
bon après-midi	good afternoon
bonne journée	good day
bonne soirée	good evening
bonne nuit	good night
bonne semaine	good week

16.2.4. 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. formal or plural

16.2.5. For School, Work, and Exams

Bonne chance pour ton examen !	Good luck on your exam! informal
Bonne chance pour votre examen !	Good luck on your exam! formal
Bon courage pour tes études !	Good luck / stay strong with your studies! informal
Bon courage pour votre travail !	Good luck / stay strong with your work! formal
Travaille bien !	Study / work well! informal
Travaillez bien !	Study / work well! formal or plural
À plus tard en classe.	See you later in class.

16.2.6. For Travel and Movement

Bon voyage !	Have a good trip!
Bonne route !	Have a safe trip! / Drive safely!
Rentre bien !	Get home safely! informal
Rentrez bien !	Get home safely! formal or plural
Fais attention sur la route.	Be careful on the road. informal
Faites attention sur la route.	Be careful on the road. formal or plural
À bientôt à Montréal !	See you soon in Montreal!

16.2.7. For Health and Rest

Repose-toi bien.	Rest well. informal
Reposez-vous bien.	Rest well. formal or plural
Soigne-toi bien.	Take care of yourself / get well. informal
Soignez-vous bien.	Take care of yourself / get well. formal or plural
Bon rétablissement.	Get well soon.
Prompt rétablissement.	Get well soon. more formal
J’espère que tu iras mieux bientôt.	I hope you will feel better soon. informal

16.2.8. For Celebrations and Special Occasions

Joyeux anniversaire !	Happy birthday!
Bon anniversaire !	Happy birthday!
Félicitations !	Congratulations!
Tous mes vœux de bonheur !	Wishing you every happiness!
Bonnes fêtes !	Happy holidays!
Bonne année !	Happy New Year!
Joyeux Noël !	Merry Christmas!

16.2.9. Responding to 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
C’est gentil, merci.	That is kind, thank you.

16.2.10. Formal vs. Informal

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

Informal	English
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, or groups.

Formal / Plural	English
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.

16.2.11. Core Patterns

À + time	See you at / on ___
Bonne + feminine noun	Bonne journée.
Bon + masculine noun	Bon voyage.
Bonne chance pour + noun	Good luck with / on ___
Bon courage pour + noun	Good luck / stay strong with ___
verb command + bien	Repose-toi bien.
Merci, toi aussi.	Thanks, you too.

16.2.12. Practice

Goodbye.
See you soon.
Have a good day.
Have a good weekend.
Good luck on your exam. informal
Have a good trip.
Get home safely. informal
Rest well. formal
Thanks, you too. informal

16.2.13. Answers

Goodbye.	Au revoir.
See you soon.	À bientôt.
Have a good day.	Bonne journée.
Have a good weekend.	Bon week-end.
Good luck on your exam. informal	Bonne chance pour ton examen !
Have a good trip.	Bon voyage !
Get home safely. informal	Rentre bien !
Rest well. formal	Reposez-vous bien.
Thanks, you too. informal	Merci, toi aussi.

16.2.14. Short Dialogue

A : Je dois partir. À plus tard !	A: I have to leave. See you later!
B : D’accord. Bonne journée !	B: Okay. Have a good day!
A : Merci, toi aussi.	A: Thanks, you too.
B : Bonne chance pour ton examen !	B: Good luck on your exam!
A : Merci beaucoup ! À demain.	A: Thank you very much! See you tomorrow.

16.2.15. Checkpoint

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to take leave of people, wish someone well, choose between formal and informal expressions, and respond naturally to good wishes with expressions such as merci, toi aussi, à vous aussi, and c’est gentil, merci.