Au revoir / Goodbye

French has multiple ways to say goodbye depending on the situation and when you expect to see the person again.

French	IPA	English	When to Use
Au revoir	[o ʁə.vwaʁ]	Goodbye	Universal, formal + informal
Salut	[sa.ly]	Bye	Informal, with friends
À bientôt	[a bjɛ̃.to]	See you soon	When you’ll meet again soon
À demain	[a də.mɛ̃]	See you tomorrow	When meeting the next day
À plus tard	[a ply taʁ]	See you later	Later the same day (À plus in casual speech)

Usage Notes

Au revoir is never wrong — when in doubt, use it. Works with everyone in any situation.

À plus tard is often shortened to À plus [a plys] in casual speech, or A+ in
texts.

You can also specify when: À lundi [a lœ̃.di] (See you Monday), À ce soir [a sə swaʁ] (See you
this evening).

Farewell Wishes

French speakers often add a wish when saying goodbye:

French	IPA	English	When to Use
Bonne journée	[bɔn ʒuʁ.ne]	Have a good day	During the day
Bonne soirée	[bɔn swa.ʁe]	Have a good evening	In the evening
Bon week-end	[bɔ̃ wi.kɛnd]	Have a good weekend	Friday/before weekend
Bon courage	[bɔ̃ ku.ʁaʒ]	Good luck / Hang in there	Before a challenging task

Note: Bonjour is a greeting (when arriving). Bonne journée is a farewell wish
(when leaving). Don’t mix them up!

Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong	✓ Correct	Why
Bonne nuit at 7 PM	Bonne soirée	Bonne nuit = going to bed only
Bonjour when leaving	Bonne journée	Bonjour = greeting, not farewell
Leaving without saying goodbye	Au revoir!	Always say goodbye in France

Practice Sentences

1. Au revoir, Madame. Merci beaucoup!
   [o ʁə.vwaʁ ma.dam mɛʁ.si bo.ku]
   Goodbye, Ma’am. Thank you very much!
2. Salut, à plus tard!
   [sa.ly a ply taʁ]
   Bye, see you later!
3. Bonne journée et à bientôt!
   [bɔn ʒuʁ.ne e a bjɛ̃.to]
   Have a good day and see you soon!
4. À demain, les amis!
   [a də.mɛ̃ le.za.mi]
   See you tomorrow, friends!
5. Au revoir, Monsieur. Bonne soirée!
   [o ʁə.vwaʁ mə.sjø bɔn swa.ʁe]
   Goodbye, Sir. Have a good evening!
6. Bon week-end! À lundi!
   [bɔ̃ wi.kɛnd a lœ̃.di]
   Have a good weekend! See you Monday!

Exercise: Choose the Right Farewell

Select the best farewell for each situation:

1. You’re leaving a shop at 3 PM. → _______
2. Your friend is going to bed. → _______
3. It’s Friday evening, saying bye to your colleague. → _______
4. You’re leaving the office at 6 PM, seeing coworkers tomorrow. → _______
5. You’re saying bye to a friend, meeting again for dinner. → _______

Answers

1. Au revoir, bonne journée! [o ʁə.vwaʁ bɔn ʒuʁ.ne] — standard daytime farewell
2. Bonne nuit! [bɔn nɥi] — before bed
3. Bon week-end! [bɔ̃ wi.kɛnd] — Friday farewell
4. Bonne soirée, à demain! [bɔn swa.ʁe a də.mɛ̃] — evening farewell, meeting tomorrow
5. À ce soir! [a sə swaʁ] or À plus tard! — meeting again same day