Learn how to say goodbye in French in different situations

Saying hello and goodbye is important in France as you will be thought of as rude if you miss out on either. 

In fact, the expression filer à l’anglaise (leave English-style) refers to when someone leaves without saying goodbye, much like the terms ‘Irish exit’ or ‘French leave’ in English. 

Below is a list of ways to avoid this and we explain when to use the different terms depending on the situation, such as out with friends, at your grandmother’s house or in a meeting with your boss. 

Au revoir 

This expression also exists in English and is used commonly throughout France. 

You could use it in almost any situation and it is polite. If you are leaving the doctor’s after an appointment, you would say ‘merci beaucoup, au revoir’ (thank you very much, goodbye). 

You could even use it with your friends although it may be a little formal. 

Salut 

Another extremely common expression, salut means both hello and goodbye. You would tend to use this with friends and people you know well. It is more informal than bonjour or au revoir. 

Read more: Different ways to say hello in French

Bonne journée 

Along with au revoir, this is another polite way of saying goodbye. 

It means good day and you will often hear it being said on the telephone to mark the end of a conversation. 

While you can just say bonne journée, some people will also say je vous souhaite une très bonne journée (I wish you a very good day). 

At different parts of the day, bonne journée becomes bon après-midi (good afternoon) or bonne soirée (good evening). 

There is no exact science to when each should be said. However, if it is early in the afternoon, around 14:00n, then bon après-midi is a safe option and if the sun has gone down or it is around 17:00 or 18:00, you can switch to bonne soirée.

A tout à l’heure

This is the French equivalent of ‘see you later’ and is used identically. It is neither formal nor informal. 

When you know that you will see your friend later on, you would say à tout à l’heure. 

This can be shortened to à toute (an 'e' is added to make sure that the second 't' is pronounced. 

A bientôt is similar but is used when you are not sure when you will see them. For example, if you are leaving a shop that you often go to, the shopkeeper might call out bonne journée as you are leaving, to which you might answer à bientôt. 

A plus 

This expression used to be à plus tard but it has slowly become à plus. It also means see you later. 

Read more: Five common French words that are in fact company names

Adieu 

Another French expression used in English, adieu is used for goodbyes that will last for a long time, if not forever. 

It has a sense of finality that no other goodbye has in French and there is often at least a twinge of sadness when this expression is used. 

Ciao 

This expression is a lot more upbeat and informal. 

Ciao comes from Italian and is the equivalent of salut, meaning both hello and goodbye. However in French, it is almost exclusively employed to say goodbye rather than hello. 

Bisous

Another warm and friendly way to say goodbye is bisous, which means kisses. 

This is often used on the phone and can be replaced with je t’embrasse (I kiss you), which means the same thing but is more formal. 

Bisous is not to be used in formal or professional situations.