The most commonly heard term for “goodbye” in French is “au revoir (this actually means until we meet again)," but the language actually has multiple ways of telling someone farewell. Here are a few of the most common for you to know.
Method 1 of 3: Common Goodbyes
1Say "au revoir" in any setting. This is the standard French translation of the English “goodbye,” and it can be used in both casual and formal settings, with strangers and friends alike.
- When said as a phrase, au revoir is usually translated directly to "goodbye." The phrase translates more closely to "to see again" or "to meet again," however.
- Au translates into "to." Revoir translates into see again, meet again, or revise.
- Pronounce au revoir as oh ruh-vwar.
2Use "salut" informally. You can use salut as a way of saying “bye” when among friends or in other casual settings.
- Avoid using salut in formal settings.
- Also note that salut can be used to greet someone as well as saying farewell.
- The term has a variety of translations, including "greeting," "salute," and "all the best."
- Pronounce salut as sah-loo.
3Switch to “adieu.” While adieu is no longer as common as it once was, it can still be used in most contexts as a way of saying farewell.
- A translates into “to,” and Dieu means “God.” Translated more literally, this phrase says “to God” and is the same thing as saying “go with God” or “Godspeed.”
- A rough pronunciation of adieu would be ahd-joo.
Method 2 of 3: Wishing Someone Well
1Wish someone a good day with "bonne journée." This phrase translates into “good day” and is, essentially, the same thing as saying “have a good day.”
- Bonne means “good.”
- Journée means “day.”
- A general pronunciation of the phrase is bahn zoor-nay .
- Say "passez une bonne journée” in slightly more formal situations. This translates more literally to “have a good day” or “spend a good day.” Pronounce the sentence as pah-see oona bahn zoor-nay.
2Wish someone a good evening with "bonne soirée." This translates literally into “good evening” and is the same thing as telling someone to “have a good evening.”
- Bonne means “good.”
- Soirée means “evening.”
- Pronounce this phrase as bahn swar-ray.
3Tell someone to enjoy a trip with "bon voyage," "bonne route," or "bonnes vacances." Each of these phrases can be translated into something along the lines of “have a good trip,” and each can be used to say goodbye to someone embarking on a journey or vacation.
- Voyage means “travel,” “trip,” or “journey,” so of the three, bon voyage translates most directly into “have a good trip.” Pronounce it as bahn voy-ahjz, with the final "ge" sounding like a soft "j."
- Route means “road,” “route,” or “way.” The phrase is generally used to say “have a good journey” or “have a safe journey,” and it is pronounced bahn rhoot.
- Vacances means “holiday” or “vacation,” so the phrase “bonnes vacances” means “have a good vacation” or “have a good holiday.” Pronounce it as boon vah-koons.
4Use "bonne continuation" for a brief meeting. This phrase is generally only used to say goodbye to someone whom you met briefly and will likely never meet again.
- The phrase can be translated to mean "good luck" or "good continuation," as "continuation" means the same thing in both French and English.
- Pronounce the phrase as bahn kohn-teen-u-ay-seohn.
5Tell someone to take care with "prends soin de toi." In English, this phrase means “take care of yourself.”
- Prends means "take."
- Soin means "care."
- In this context, de means "of."
- Toi means "you."
- Pronounce the entire phrase as prah swa doo twa.
6Wish someone good luck with "bonne chance" or "bon courage." Both sayings can be told to someone as you depart, and both mean “good luck” in some form.”
- Bonne chance is used when actual luck or fortune is involved. Chance means "luck," "chance," or "fortune." Pronounce bonne chance as bahn shahns.
- Bon courage is used to tell someone something along the lines of "be persistent" or "keep at it." Courage means "courage" or "fortitude." Pronounce bon courage as boon kooh-rhajh.
Method 3 of 3: Other G