French - Goodbyes

Lesson 3 of 159

Learning French goodbyes: friendly people saying farewell in a street scene.

Goal: Common farewells you can use every day

Free French lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Ready to leave with confidence? This short lesson focuses on friendly, useful ways to end a conversation in French. Practice listening, repeating, and using these phrases in small dialogs.

Level A1: In Lesson 3 you'll learn and practice common French goodbyes like "Au revoir", "Salut", "À demain", and polite closers such as "Bonne journée" and "Prends soin de toi." We'll hear the phrases, try a mini conversation, and do quick quizzes to help them stick. This lesson is CEFR-aligned and built for quick, confident practice.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Recognize and say 13 everyday French farewell phrases.
  • Use polite and casual goodbyes in the right situations.
  • Build A1 conversation endings you can use after short chats.
Two friends practicing French farewell phrases outdoors, showing everyday usage.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

Au revoir.

Goodbye.

Meaning: Goodbye.

When to use: Use this polite, standard goodbye to end a conversation in many situations.

Au revoir, à bientôt !
Goodbye, see you soon!
Je prends le métro. Au revoir !
I'm taking the metro. Goodbye!

Salut

Bye.

Meaning: Bye.

When to use: Use this casual word with friends or people you know well. It can mean hi or bye.

Tip: Don't use with strangers in formal situations; it's informal.

Salut ! À plus !
Bye! See you!
Salut, comment ça va ?
Hi, how are you?

À plus tard.

See you later.

Meaning: See you later.

When to use: Say this when you expect to see or talk to the person later. Neutral tone.

On se voit à 18h ? À plus tard.
See you at 6? See you later.
Je t'appelle cet après-midi. À plus tard !
I'll call you this afternoon. See you later!

À demain.

See you tomorrow.

Meaning: See you tomorrow.

When to use: Use when you'll meet or speak to someone the next day.

On a cours demain ? D'accord, à demain.
We have class tomorrow? Okay, see you tomorrow.
Bonne soirée, à demain !
Have a good evening, see you tomorrow!

Prends soin de toi.

Take care.

Meaning: Take care.

When to use: Use this friendly closing to show concern; informal (tu) version. Use the polite form with strangers.

Prends soin de toi pendant ton voyage.
Take care of yourself during your trip.
Merci, prends soin de toi aussi.
Thanks, take care of yourself too.

Bonne journée.

Have a good day.

Meaning: Have a good day.

When to use: Say this politely when leaving someone during the day (shops, work, neighbors).

Merci pour votre aide. Bonne journée !
Thanks for your help. Have a good day!
Je file au bureau. Bonne journée à tous.
I'm off to the office. Have a good day everyone.

Toi aussi.

You too.

Meaning: You too.

When to use: Reply to a farewell or good wish to return it (informal tu).

Tip: Remember to use “Vous aussi” in formal situations.

Bonne journée ! — Toi aussi.
Have a good day! — You too.
Bonne nuit ! — Toi aussi.
Good night! — You too.

Je dois y aller.

I have to go.

Meaning: I have to go.

When to use: Use this neutral phrase to explain you need to leave a conversation.

Désolé, je dois y aller, on se parle plus tard ?
Sorry, I have to go, shall we talk later?
Je dois y aller, merci pour le café.
I have to go, thanks for the coffee.

Je dois y aller maintenant.

I need to go now.

Meaning: I need to go now.

When to use: Use this when you must leave immediately and want to be clear.

Excuse-moi, je dois y aller maintenant.
Excuse me, I need to go now.
Je dois y aller maintenant, bon courage !
I need to go now, good luck!

C'était sympa de discuter avec toi.

It was nice talking to you.

Meaning: It was nice talking to you.

When to use: Say this warmly at the end of a friendly conversation (informal).

C'était sympa de discuter avec toi, merci !
It was nice talking to you, thanks!
Bon, je file. C'était sympa de discuter avec toi.
Right, I'm off. It was nice talking to you.

Bonne nuit.

Good night.

Meaning: Good night.

When to use: Use this in the evening or before sleep to say goodbye for the night.

Tip: Don't use "Bonne nuit" when leaving an evening event; prefer "Bonne soirée."

Je vais me coucher. Bonne nuit !
I'm going to bed. Good night!
Bonne nuit, dors bien.
Good night, sleep well.

À plus tard.

Talk to you later.

Meaning: Talk to you later.

When to use: Another common way to say you'll speak again later; neutral and widely used.

Je t'envoie un message après. À plus tard.
I'll message you later. Talk to you later.
D'accord, à plus tard !
Okay, talk to you later!

À plus

Bye for now.

Meaning: Bye for now.

When to use: A casual, friendly goodbye used between people who know each other.

Je repasse plus tard. À plus.
I'll come by later. Bye for now.
Bon, je m'en vais. À plus !
Alright, I'm leaving. Bye for now!

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

A short goodbye between friends after a chat.

Anna and David saying goodbye in French after a pleasant conversation.

Who says they need to leave now?

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Salut David !

Hi David!

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

Salut Anna ! C'était sympa de discuter avec toi.

Hi Anna! It was nice talking to you.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

Je dois y aller maintenant.

I need to go now.

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

D'accord. Prends soin de toi.

Okay. Take care.

Portrait of Anna in a French lesson dialogue

Anna

À demain !

See you tomorrow!

Portrait of David in a French lesson dialogue

David

À plus tard. Bonne journée !

Talk to you later. Have a good day!

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which French phrase means "Good night"?

You will see a friend tomorrow. Which phrase do you use?

Which phrase is the casual 'Bye' that can also mean 'Hi'?

How do you say "I have to go" in French?

It's late. I'm going to bed. Good night.

It's late. I'm going to bed. ___

Anna: It was nice talking to you. David: You too.

Anna: It was nice talking to you. David: ___

I have a meeting in five minutes, so I need to go now.

I have a meeting in five minutes, so ___.

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

Au revoir.

Goodbye.

Say this phrase out loud:

Salut

Bye.

Say this phrase out loud:

À plus tard.

Talk to you later.

Say this phrase out loud:

À demain.

See you tomorrow.

Say this phrase out loud:

Prends soin de toi.

Take care.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bonne journée.

Have a good day.

Say this phrase out loud:

Toi aussi.

You too.

Say this phrase out loud:

Je dois y aller.

I have to go.

Say this phrase out loud:

Je dois y aller maintenant.

I need to go now.

Say this phrase out loud:

C'était sympa de discuter avec toi.

It was nice talking to you.

Say this phrase out loud:

Bonne nuit.

Good night.

Say this phrase out loud:

À plus tard.

Talk to you later.

Say this phrase out loud:

À plus

Bye for now.