21 Natural Ways to Say Goodbye in French in 2024 - with Audio Pronunciation

Indeed, saying goodbye is an essential and priority attention for integrating into French culture! It is part of all those little expressions of politeness and etiquette that the French particularly cherish. A 2019 survey showed that 85% of French people consider politeness to be one of the most crucial values.¹ It meets a social need and is also a source of pleasure in living together.²

Therefore, knowing how to say goodbye in French and perfecting it will touch the hearts of the French and help you feel more integrated into the local culture!

But be careful, there are many variations of saying goodbye, depending on the interlocutor and the context. In this article, we'll explore formal and informal ways to say goodbye in French.

Who to Say Goodbye to in France?

Basically, we say goodbye almost every time we leave a place or a person!

More specifically, as soon as you engage in a minimum of interaction with a person or a group of people, it is customary to say goodbye.

Let's study these cases:

You leave a small shop: you say goodbye to the salesperson, even if you didn't buy anything.
Indeed, you have entered a space considered private (because it is guarded by a person, available to assist customers). Saying hello and goodbye shows your attention to this person and, culturally, it is an important sign of respect.

You leave the subway: you don't say goodbye.
The driver is not accessible, so they wouldn't hear your goodbye.

You leave the subway and had a brief interaction with a passenger: you say goodbye to that person.

You leave a dinner at a friend's house: you say goodbye to your host, your close friends, and the people you meet on your way out.

You leave a supermarket: you don't say goodbye, unless you pass by the security guard at the exit.

You leave the cashier: you say goodbye to the cashier.

You see, many situations lead to saying goodbye in France! That's probably why there are dozens of ways to say goodbye. I'll explain the most commonly used goodbye variations in France in the next section.

The Different Ways to Say Goodbye in French

Au revoir is probably the most well-known expression to say goodbye. However, it is far from being the most used by the French!

Yes, there are many alternatives to saying goodbye in French. These variations are used depending on the interlocutor, the time of day, and even the next planned meeting.

To better understand and remember these expressions, I suggest a classification by situation.
And for a more synthetic view, you will find a summary table as a bonus, at the bottom of the article.

In Public Places and with Acquaintances

Here are the formal ways to say goodbye in French. Below are the formal and commonly used expressions in the public sphere (administrations and shops) or with unfamiliar people (like your neighbors, distant colleagues, school or daycare staff...).

• Au revoir - pronounce /orvwahr/

  This is the generic term. It forms the expression dire au revoir, which means to say goodbye. It is used in public places or in front of a group.
  

  common natural phrases
  Au revoir tout le monde !	Goodbye everyone!
  Il est parti sans dire au revoir.	He left without saying goodbye.

• Bonne journée - pronounce /bohnzhoornay/

  This is the most used equivalent of au revoir! If you need to remember one, this is it!
  It's perfect in public places (administration, shops, bakery, market...) or with neighbors and other acquaintances.

  common natural phrases
  Bonne journée à tous !	Have a good day everyone!
  Je vous souhaite une bonne journée !	I wish you a good day!

• Bonne soirée - pronounce /bohnswahray/

  It's like bonne journée but from around 6 PM.

  ⚠️ Beware of two common confusions:

  • Bonsoir vs. Bonne soirée: bonsoir is used to greet at the beginning of an encounter. It is not appropriate for saying goodbye. It's the opposite of bonne soirée!
  • Bonne nuit vs. Bonne soirée: bonne nuit is more intimate as it refers to the quality of sleep. It's like saying “Sleep well”! So even at 9 PM, you should wish bonne soirée, not bonne nuit 😉

  common natural phrases
  Bonne soirée Monsieur.	Good evening, Sir.
  On a passé une bonne soirée hier.	We had a good evening yesterday.

• Bonne continuation - pronounce /bohn-koñteenuahsyoñ/

  This expression conveys a definitive goodbye. That's why it's rarely used. It's specifically applied when saying goodbye to someone you probably won't see again.
  For example, if you're moving and announcing your departure to your favorite baker, you can conclude your last conversation with bonne continuation.

  common natural phrases
  Bon, eh bien, bonne continuation !	Well, good luck!
  Bonne continuation, je vous souhaite le meilleur pour la suite !	Good luck, I wish you the best for the future!

With Friends and Family

The informal ways to say goodbye in French are far more numerous than formal ones. And for good reason: within a family or among friends, or even between colleagues, there's room for much more creativity! Learn to use them, and you'll give your vocabulary a more local and authentic French tone!

• Bonne journée / bonne soirée (as mentioned above)

  Here's the good news: they are also common in these contexts!
  They are often introduced more warmly, for example:

  common natural phrases
  Allez, bonne journée à toi !	Alright, have a good day!
  Passe une bonne soirée !	Have a great evening!
  Bonne journée ! Profite bien du beau temps !	Have a good day! Enjoy the nice weather!

• À bientôt - pronounce /ahbyuhñtoh/

  This expression implicitly means we will see each other soon. It is used when you don't know when you'll see the other person, it could be in a few days or several weeks.

  common natural phrases
  À bientôt !	See you soon!
  À très bientôt !	See you very soon!
  Allez, on se voit bientôt !	Alright, see you soon!

• À la prochaine - pronounce /ahlahprohshayhn/

  It's a synonym of à bientôt.

  common natural phrases
  À la prochaine, porte toi bien !	See you next time, take care!
  À une prochaine fois !	See you next time!

• À plus tard - pronounce /ahplutahr/

  It's quite similar to à bientôt, as it's used when you don't know exactly when you'll see the person again, but it could be in a few hours or a few days.

  common natural phrases
  À plus tard !	See you later!
  À plus !	Later!
  On se retrouve plus tard !	We'll meet later!

• À tout à l'heure - pronounce /ahtootaluhr/

  This expression is used when you will see the other person again on the same day.

  common natural phrases
  Parfait, à tout à l'heure !	Perfect, see you later!
  À toute !	See you!

• À tout de suite - pronounce /ahtootsuyeet/

  This expression is used when you will see the other person again within the same hour. It's common to use it in a message just before a meeting, for example.

  common natural phrases
  À tout de suite !	See you in a bit!
  J'arrive, à tout de suite !	I'm coming, see you in a bit!
  Attends, j'arrive de suite !	Wait, I'm coming right now!

• À + next scheduled meeting

  A very natural way to say goodbye in daily life is this construction: à + the next scheduled meeting date. À, in this context, is equivalent to we'll see each other.

  common natural phrases
  À demain !	See you tomorrow!
  À lundi !	See you Monday!
  À la semaine prochaine !	See you next week!
  On se voit mardi !	We'll see each other on Tuesday!

• Salut - pronounce /sahlu/

  This expression is very often used in informal contexts. It is regularly combined with an expression preceded by à (à bientôt, à lundi, etc.).

  common natural phrases
  Salut, à bientôt !	Bye, see you soon!
  Salut, on se voit dimanche !	Bye, see you Sunday!

• Ciao - pronounce /tshahoh/

  It's a word borrowed from Italian! It's an equivalent of salut, very often in informal contexts.

  Watch out, in Italian, Ciao can be used to say hello and goodbye. In French, we use it exclusively to say goodbye.

  common natural phrases
  J'y vais, ciao !	I'm leaving, bye!
  Ciao tout le monde !	Bye everyone!

• Bye - pronounced like in English ;)

  Another word borrowed from a foreign language, English this time! It's also an equivalent of salut, very natural and common to say goodbye.

  common natural phrases
  Bye bye !	Bye bye!
  Bye, bonne journée !	Bye, have a good day!

• Bisous - pronounce /beezoo/

  It's a cute expression to say goodbye. It expresses a lot of affection and is used with very close and familiar people.

  common natural phrases
  Bisous mon Cœur !	Kisses my love!
  Allez, je te fais des bisous !	Alright, I'm giving you kisses!
  Bisous, bisous !	Kisses, kisses!
  Fais un bisou à Pierre de ma part.	Give Pierre a kiss from me.

• Je t'embrasse - pronounce /zhuhtañbrahs/

  This expression is used on the phone. Like bisous mentioned earlier, it expresses a lot of affection and is used with very close and familiar people.

  common natural phrases
  Allez, je t'embrasse !	Alright, hugs!
  Embrasse Jeanne pour moi.	Hug Jeanne for me.

• Bon courage - pronounce /boñkoorahzh/

  The French often say goodbye by wishing bon courage. Especially when they know the other person is going to work or has efforts to make in their day (like a presentation or an exam).

  common natural phrases
  Bon courage pour aujourd'hui !	Good luck today!
  Bon courage pour ta réunion !	Good luck with your meeting!

• Bonne chance - pronounce /bohnshañs/

  This expression is often our last word before leaving someone who is about to take part in a competition or an academic or professional exam.

  common natural phrases
  Bonne chance pour ton entretien !	Good luck with your interview!
  Bonne chance, on pense à toi !	Good luck, we're thinking of you!

• Merde - pronounce /mayhrd/

  Yes, this expression is normally a swear word! But it's a natural and familiar (but not vulgar) equivalent of bonne chance. It may be shocking, I know, that's why I prefer to give you a heads-up by including it on this list ;)
  Usually one say this with the fingers crossed 🤞. A gesture that clarifies the intent (using the word to mean good luck) and softens the potentially shocking nature of the word.

  common natural phrases
  Merde pour ton examen !	Break a leg for your exam!
  Merde !	Say it with fingers crossed 🤞

• Prends soin de toi - pronounce /prañswoeñdtwah/

  This expression is often our last word before leaving someone who is sick or that you probably won't see for a long time. It's very commonly used in both writing and speech.

  common natural phrases
  Repose-toi et prends soin de toi.	Rest and take care of yourself.
  Prenez soin de vous !	Take care of yourself!

• On se tient au courant - pronounce /oñstyeñohkoorañ/

  This idiomatic phrase is common when saying bye among friends, family, or colleagues. It means we'll keep in touch and allows linking with the prospect of a next meeting. It's very frequent in French conversations as culturally, the French take care of transitions and making connections with past or future moments.

  common natural phrases
  On se tient au courant, à plus tard !	Let's keep in touch, see you later!
  On se tient au jus, bye !	⚠️ slang synonym
  On se tient au courant pour la suite.	We'll keep in touch for the next steps.

• Adieu - pronounce /ahdyuh/

  I'm adding this to the list because it's known but very rarely used! In France, it's extremely solemn and personally, I've never used it. It's way more common to hear it in Switzerland for example.

Some Awkward or Even Ridiculous Ways to Say Bye in French

Here are a few expressions for saying goodbye that you might find in books or articles but that I personally strongly advise against using!

• 🚫 Au revoir, mademoiselle

  Administratively, the distinction between mademoiselle and madame was removed in 2012. This distinction was controversial because it was based on the marital status of a woman, whereas this distinction does not exist for men. In public, using mademoiselle can therefore be considered sexist.

• 🚫 À la revoyure

  This phrase, which literally means until the next time we see each other, is an old-fashioned way of saying goodbye. It was once a common expression in French but is now considered completely outdated and rarely used in modern conversation.

• 🚫 À plus dans le bus

  This playful phrase is a fun, rhyming way of saying goodbye that means something like See you later on the bus. It became popular in the 1980s and 1990s as part of slang used by teenagers and students. People liked it because it's catchy and playful, making it a cool thing to say in casual situations.

  Nowadays, it's not used as much, and most young people don't even know where it came from. For many, it's more of a nostalgic or quirky phrase than something they'd actually say regularly.

• 🚫 On s'appelle, on se fait une bouffe!

  On s'appelle, on se fait une bouffe! is a casual way of saying let's call each other and grab a bite! It's something friends or acquaintances might say when they're making loose plans to hang out.
  bouffe is slang forfood. The phrase might feel a bit awkward or overly casual in almost every situation you'll encounter in Paris as an expatriate.

As I already mentioned, these last three expressions are outdated and corny. They tend to leave a somewhat awkward and heavy impression in a conversation. Best to avoid them! 😉

Bonus: Your Handy Guide to Saying Bye in French

If you're like me and love tables, here's one for you! It summarizes the essential expressions, pronunciation, and natural, ready-to-use phrases to say goodbye like a French person in your upcoming conversations.

You can even explore the table of expressions by filtering based on language registers, context of use, or by searching keywords within the expressions and ready-to-use example phrases.