You may know how to say hello in German but…
How do you say bye in German?
In this quick lesson (2-3 minute read), you’ll learn the 23 ways – the words and phrases to use. If you’re a Beginner, this lesson is perfect for you. Why do you get so many? Because you deserve it.
You should know ALL types of ways to have variety, sound fluent and be a better German speaker. So, go ahead, review theses phrases, listen to the audio pronunciation, and start picking up German.
1. Tschüss
- Bye or See Ya
This is an informal way to say bye in German. Probably the most common one and if you remember JUST ONE thing from my lesson, remember this. If you care to know, it’s a word that originated in the Northern part of Germany.
By the way, you should also hear REAL German.
So, feel free to listen to this FREE German Audio lesson from my friends at GermanPod101. Just press the play button on the black player below.
- 3-Minute German – Greetings
- Lesson by GermanPod101.com (click here for more fun free lessons like this)
2. Ciao
- Ciao/Bye
Yes, like the Italian ciao. How did this make it into German? It was adopted from Italian of course! The difference is, you’ll hear this in Southern Germany more than the North; closer to Italy, eh?
3. Auf Wiedersehen
- Goodbye
Literally, this means “until we see again.” This is a pretty, standard formal way to say bye in German.
4. Auf Wiederhören
- Saying Bye in German (on the phone)
Or you can skip the auf and be half formal and just say Wiederhören. Remember, this is how you say bye in German on the phone only.
5. Schönes Wochenende!
- Have a Good Weekend
Is it Friday (Freitag) and you want to wish someone a good weekend? Here’s how. Schönes is good or beautiful. Wochenende is weekend. Easy enough!
6. Bis nächste Woche!
- See you next week!
Bis means until. Nächste means next. Woche means week.
7. Gute Nacht.
- Good night
Useful parting greeting when you’re leaving someone at night. No, this is not a way to tuck someone into bed.
8. Einen schönen Tag noch!
- Have a nice day!
What’s einen? A bit complex but… einen is used in front of a masculine noun that’s the direct object of the sentence. It could be translated “a” or “the” but sometimes it does not need to be translated to English. Just needs to be in German… because grammar.
- schönen – beautiful/good
- Tag- day
- noch – more
9. Bis morgen!
- Until tomorrow!
Morgen means tomorrow and bis… you know that one right? No? Well, let’s review – it means: until. Simple, huh?
10. Bis bald (casual), Bis später!
- See you soon!
Another variation of this can be “bye for now.” Obviously when you say this, you expect to see them soon.
- bald means soon
- später means later
11. Bis dann!
- See you later!
Yes, you can use Bis später here as well because as you learned in #9, später means later.
- dann means then but can be interpreted as later.
12. bis bald wieder
- See you again soon
Wieder means again here just so you know.
13. bis bald und viele grüße
- See you soon and best regards
Very formal and polite sounding phrase. It’d be best to use it in writing emails or letters. Nobody really says best regards in real life. Either way, useful!
14. bis bald mein lieber
- See you soon my dear
Another bis bald variation. Mein means my and lieber is dear. This is probably best left for family members and people that are very close.
15. bis später mein schatz
- until later, my sweetheart
Interesting variation, eh? Yep, please use it on your sweetheart(s) only. Although, it is outdated and not used by young people so… but you’re more than welcome to use it, like you would in English.
- mein means my
- schatz means sweetheart
16. Viel Glück!
- Good luck!
Now, you’re right – good luck doesn’t isn’t literally how you say bye in German. But, you do use it as a parting greeting in English right? Well, you can use it as a “bye” in German as well!
17. Leb wohl!
- Farewell.
Just another simple way to say bye in German.
18. Ich freue mich darauf, dich bald wiederzusehen.
- I’m looking forward to seeing you again soon
A good phrase to know. We say it a lot in English and the same is for German.
19. Wir hoffen, dich wieder zu treffen
- We hope to meet you again
Of course, this is a unique phrase to use in special circumstances. Just another good way to say bye in German for you to know.
20. Bis Montag
- See You on Monday
So you know that “Bis” means until but what about other days? What if you wanted to say… see you on some other day? Like Friday? Just change Montag (Monday) with one of the days below.
- Monday – Montag
- Tuesday – Dienstag
- Wednesday – Mittwoch
- Thursday – Donnerstag
- Friday – Freitag
- Saturday – Samstag
- Sunday – Sonntag
21. Alles Gute
- All The Best
Obviously, this is a more formal way to say bye in German. And to remind you how easy German is… Alles is All and Gute, while sounding like good, is interpreted as best.
22. Servus
- Goodbye (Bavarian/Austrian)
Servus is a very flexible word and can also be used as “Hello.” But, it’s a regional word and you will only hear it in Bavaria and Austria.
23. Machs gut
- Take care
Machs means make and gut means good – so this literally means “make good.”
Conclusion
There’s more to come but that’s 23 ways to say bye in German for now!
So, take this lesson…
- Review often: success comes from REPETITION
- Print it out to have physical study material (i do it all the time)
- Read out loud to practice speaking
And did I miss any ways to say bye in German? Leave me a comment, you. Yes you. I read them all!
– Written by the Main Junkie
P.S. I highly recommend this for German learners. If you REALLY want to learn to German with effective lessons by real teachers – Sign up for free at GermanPod101 (click here) and start learning!