{"id":94486,"date":"2023-06-08T19:23:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T23:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/goodbye-in-german\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T01:40:34","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T06:40:34","slug":"goodbye-in-german","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/german\/goodbye-in-german\/","title":{"rendered":"20 Ways to Say Goodbye in German"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tired of saying Tsch\u00fcss<\/em> all the time? With this list, you\u2019ll learn more ways you can wish someone a fond farewell. Some of them are very colloquial, so they\u2019ll help you fit right in with natives in certain places.<\/p>\n

Pair these with German greetings<\/a>, and you’ll be off to a strong start with your conversational German.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

1. Tsch\u00fcss<\/em> \/ Tsch\u00fcssi \u2014 <\/em>Goodbye<\/h2>\n

The German equivalent of “bye” Tsch\u00fcss<\/em> is a nice, informal way of saying goodbye<\/strong> in just about any situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can also add a simple\u00a0i\u00a0<\/em>on the end to adorn your farewell with a cutesy, if a little cloying, twist\u2014Tsch\u00fcssi!<\/em> This is sort of like saying “bye bye” or an elongated “byeeee” in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Ciao<\/em> \u2014 Bye<\/h2>\n

In my experience, Ciao<\/em> is super common in Berlin, where you\u2019ll probably hear it just as often as Tsch\u00fcss<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Obviously, it comes from Italy (where it’s both a greeting and a goodbye), but people tend to use Ciao<\/em> as a way of saying bye in many European countries.<\/p>\n

3. Ade<\/em> \u2014 Farewell<\/h2>\n

Derived from the French Adieu<\/em>, Ade<\/em> is a short, sweet and casual way to bid someone farewell. It\u2019s more commonly used in southern Germany, such as in Bavaria. It makes sense since Germany shares a border with France in the south<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Adieu<\/em> itself is also used as a farewell expression by Germans, though not as frequently as actual German phrases. Interestingly, it may have an etymological connection to the German farewell tsch\u00fcss<\/em><\/a>: the word appears to be derived from the Low German adj\u00fcs<\/em>, which itself traces back to the French adieu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

4. Auf Wiedersehen<\/em> \u2014 See you again<\/h2>\n

Though taught everywhere, this phrase is pretty old-fashioned and definitely not your typical German goodbye. May be appropriate for formal circumstances.<\/p>\n

Think of it as saying “Farewell”\u2014probably too formal for your friends or classmates.<\/p>\n

5. Gute Nacht<\/em> \u2014 Good night<\/h2>\n

Not as formal as Gute Morgen\/Abend<\/em>, this is the German version of “Goodnight”, and it’s used when parting ways with someone after dark.\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Bis bald<\/em> \/ Auf bald\u00a0 \u2014<\/em>\u00a0See you soon<\/h2>\n

This is equivalent to “See you soon,” and is a good, casual way of saying bye to friends.<\/p>\n

7. Bis dann<\/em> \/ Bis sp\u00e4ter \u2014<\/em>\u00a0See you later<\/h2>\n

These both mean “See you later.”<\/p>\n

Just like Bis bald<\/em>, these are great options for saying bye to casual friends and acquaintances.<\/p>\n

8. Wir sehen uns<\/em> \u2014 See ya later<\/h2>\n

Another nice way to see “See ya later.”<\/p>\n

If you add a dann<\/em> to say Wir sehen uns dannb<\/em>, it means “See you then,” which can be a good way to say bye after making plans with someone.<\/p>\n

9. Man sieht sich<\/em> \u2014 Be seeing you<\/h2>\n

Similar to Wir sehen uns<\/em>, this phrase loosely translates to “be seeing you.” You can use it with your pals when you expect to see them again at some point.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a fan of German proverbs<\/a> and sayings, you may have already encountered Man sieht sich<\/em> from a popular expression: Man sieht sich immer zweimal im Lebenb<\/em>, which means “You always meet twice in life.”<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a saying that can be a sweet way to reassure someone that you two will cross paths again, but it can also be a warning to avoid leaving bad impressions on the chance you\u2019ll again make contact with the bloke you\u2019ve upset.<\/p>\n

10. Bis zum n\u00e4chsten Mal<\/em> \u2014 See you next time<\/h2>\n

This is a way to say “See you next time,” and would be appropriate for saying goodbye to someone you see regularly<\/strong>: for example, a classmate or coworker.<\/p>\n

11. Wir sprechen uns bald<\/em> \/ Wir sprechen uns sp\u00e4ter \u2014<\/em>\u00a0Talk to you later<\/h2>\n

This literally means “We\u2019ll speak soon,” or “We\u2019ll speak later.” Equivalent to the English “Talk to you later.”<\/p>\n

A good way of ending phone conversations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

12. Auf Wiederh\u00f6ren<\/em> \u2014 Upon hearing again<\/h2>\n

You might notice it looks familiar to Auf Wiedersehen,\u00a0<\/em>which uses the verb sehen<\/em> (to see) whereas this expression uses h\u00f6ren<\/em> (to hear) so literally “upon hearing again!”<\/p>\n

This is, therefore, unsurprisingly, the appropriate way to bid farewell to someone on the telephone<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

13. Sch\u00f6nen Tag (noch)<\/em> \/ Sch\u00f6nes Wochenende \u2014<\/em> Have a good day \/ Have a good weekend<\/h2>\n

These are good ways to say bye in German to just about anyone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sch\u00f6nen Tag noch<\/em> means “Have a good day,” while Sch\u00f6nes Wochenende<\/em> means “Have a good weekend.”<\/p>\n

Noch<\/em> is an adverb that could mean “still” or “yet.” Here, noch<\/em> suggests a sense of continuation, and that you wish someone\u2019s rest of the day remains good. It\u2019s a little word that can add a bit more sincerity on certain occasions.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll often hear store clerks using these phrases. If someone you know says this to you, you could respond with Dir auch<\/em>!(“You too!”).<\/p>\n

Since these expressions for saying goodbye in German depend on a lot of context, you can listen to how native speakers use them on FluentU.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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