Other ways to say goodbye in German (informal)
There are many informal ways to say goodbye in German, and they each have nuanced meanings and are used in different situations.
1. Mach’s gut
This means “take care”. This is a very casual way of saying goodbye and you’d only use this one with close friends.
2. Man sieht sich
This is along the lines of “I’ll see you when I see you”. You’d use this option in an informal situation when you’re not exactly sure when you’ll see the other person again or you haven’t planned your next meetup. You can use it with friends or acquaintances, but don’t say it to superiors.
Another variation is Wir sehen uns dann (see you then), which is another version of Wir sehen uns we saw at the beginning of the article. Adding the little word dann changes the meaning from “see you later” to “see you then”.
3. Bis später
This is another classic casual way of saying goodbye and simply means “see you later”. But contrary to English, this often literally means “see you later today”.
4. Bis dann
This version is similar to Bis später, but vaguer and means “see you whenever”.
In addition, you could get more specific and either say Bis morgen (see you tomorrow), or Bis Montag (see you on Monday), and so on.
Likewise, you could also refer to a specific time, such as Bis halb sieben (see you at 6:30) or Bis um acht (see you at 8).
5. Bis gleich
Literally means “see you in a bit”. This version is used when you know that you’ll see the other person (again) in a short period of time, such as in a few minutes or an hour.
6. Gute Nacht
This means “good night”. You’d usually say this to someone in the evening when you leave to go home and/or to bed, or the other person is going to sleep soon. Consequently, and contrary to its counterpart Guten Tag (good day), you cannot use it to greet someone.
Tip: If you want to make Gute Nacht sound less informal and more polite, you’d have to say something along the lines of “Ich wünsche Ihnen eine gute Nacht” (I wish you a good night).
7. Schlaf gut
It means “sleep well”. This is another way of bidding someone farewell who is going to sleep soon, and we only use it in informal situations.
For example, when you leave an office party, you wouldn’t say Schlaf gut to your manager but rather Gute Nacht. Save Schlaf gut for when you’re leaving a gathering of family or friends. In a setting with children, you might also use Schlaf schön, which means the same but is a bit more playful.
Now you know how to say goodbye in German
There are many different ways of saying goodbye in German, and now you know several informal and formal phrases and when to use them.
We know it’s hard to say goodbye, so why not keep the momentum going? Take a look at how to speak German fluently and keep practising your German today.
