Every Way to Say Goodbye in French (and When Each Fits)
Goodbye in French goes far beyond au revoir: bonne journée, à bientôt, bonne soirée, even adieu. Learn which farewell fits every situation.
The universal way to say goodbye in French is au revoir, pronounced /oh ruh-VWAHR/ - literally “until we see each other again.” Polite exits usually add a wish on top: bonne journée (have a good day).
Quick answer
The universal way to say goodbye in French is au revoir, pronounced /oh ruh-VWAHR/. Polite exits usually add a wish: bonne journée (have a good day) or bonne soirée (have a good evening). With friends, salut or à plus works, while adieu is reserved for final, dramatic farewells.
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Au revoir: the goodbye that always works
Au revoir breaks down literally as “until the re-seeing” - a promise of a future meeting built right into the word. It’s neutral-polite and never wrong, from a shopkeeper to a job interview. Pair it with madame or monsieur for extra courtesy: au revoir, madame. For the sounds inside it, see our French pronunciation guide.
The bonne-wishes family: leaving with a blessing
French has a habit English lacks: exiting with a small blessing attached to the goodbye.
| Phrase | Pronunciation | Literal | Use when leaving… |
|---|---|---|---|
| bonne journée | /bun zhoor-NAY/ | good day | daytime |
| bon après-midi | /bun nah-preh-mee-DEE/ | good afternoon | afternoon |
| bonne soirée | /bun swah-RAY/ | good evening | evening ahead |
| bonne nuit | /bun NWEE/ | good night | bedtime only! |
| bon week-end | /bun week-END/ | good weekend | Friday |
| bonne continuation | /bun kohn-tee-nwah-syohn/ | good continuation | ongoing task/meal encounter |
| bon courage | /bohn koo-RAHZH/ | good courage | facing something hard |
The see-you-later family (recap + link out)
À bientôt, à plus tard, à demain and à tout à l’heure round out the casual side. For the full breakdown of that à-system and its pronunciation traps, see casual ways to say bye in French.
Salut and ciao (casual corner)
Salut works both arriving and leaving; ciao (or tchao) is fully naturalized in casual French. Both are firmly friend-territory - save them for people you’d address as tu.
Adieu: the goodbye you’ll almost never say
Adieu literally means “to God” - a final farewell, reserved for drama, literature, jokes, or a genuinely definitive breakup. Travelers should never use it for a normal exit; it would sound like the end of a relationship, not the end of a coffee. One regional curiosity: in parts of the South (Provence), adieu survives dialectally as a casual hello or goodbye - a linguistic fossil worth knowing about, not a rule to follow elsewhere.
Formal written goodbyes (bonus)
Email closers run on their own register: cordialement (best regards, the safe default), bien à vous, à très vite (friendly), and amicalement (among colleagues you know well).
Which goodbye should you use? (decision recap)
- Shop, stranger → au revoir, bonne journée
- Friend → salut / à plus
- Evening event → bonne soirée
- Someone going to bed → bonne nuit
- Email → cordialement
Au revoir plus one bonne-wish covers nearly every exit you’ll ever need - everything else is a register upgrade or downgrade from that solid center.
Leave every conversation at the right register
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Questions about this note
What does au revoir literally mean?
"Until the re-seeing" - until we meet again.
What is the difference between bonsoir and bonne soirée?
Bonsoir greets on arrival in the evening; bonne soirée wishes a good evening as you leave.
When do French people say adieu?
Almost never in everyday life - it's reserved for final, dramatic farewells, literature, and jokes.
Can I say bonne nuit to a shopkeeper?
No - bonne nuit is only for someone going to bed. Say bonne soirée instead.
How do you end an email in French?
Cordialement is the safe, neutral-professional default; bien à vous and amicalement suit warmer or more familiar contexts.