15 Ways to Say “Goodbye” in Portuguese

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There are a few different ways to say “goodbye” in Portuguese. In this article, I'll cover everything you need to know.

Learn all the words and expressions below, and you'll have everything you need to say “farewell” in Portuguese – from formal situations to everyday, casual encounters on the street.

And while you’re at it, make sure to check out our previous article on how to say “hello” in Portuguese!

“Bye” in Portuguese: Tchau

By far the most common way to say “bye” in Portuguese is tchau. It's widely used in both Brazil and Portugal.

Tchau comes the Italian word ciao, and is pronounced the same way.

Supposedly, tchau become a popular way to say “goodbye” in Brazilian Portuguese during the early twentieth century, when large numbers of Italians immigrated into Brazil. Since then, tchau has crossed back across the Atlantic and is also common in Portugal.

However, if you speak Italian, you should be aware of one important difference between tchau and ciao. In Italy, ciao can mean both “hello” and “goodbye”. In Portuguese, tchau can only mean “goodbye”, never “hello”. So don't use it to greet someone!

Tchau is sometimes also written xau, txau, tiao, or chau, especially in “text speak” and on social networking sites. But tchau is considered to be the correct spelling.

“Goodbye” in Portuguese: Adeus

Adeus is a more formal way of saying “goodbye” that is rarely used in speech. It carries rather dramatic overtones: saying adeus implies that you won't see the other person again for a very long time, or that you won't see them again at all.

For that reason, you won't hear adeus very much in spoken Portuguese.

One way you might use it, however, is to emphatically end a conversation that you don't want to be in – sort of like saying “goodbye, and get lost!”. For example, you might say adeus to a persistent door-to-door salesman right before you slam the door in his face.

Adeus originated as an abbreviation for a Deus vos recomendo – “I recommend you to God.” Vos is an old-timey way of saying “you” that you'll rarely hear outside of the Bible. You may have noticed the similarity with the Spanish adios, which is widely used in English.

“See You Later” in Portuguese: Até mais

Até is usually translated as “until”. As we'll see, there are many ways you can use até to say your goodbyes in Portuguese.

Let's start with até mais, which is a common way to say something like “see you around” or “see you later” in Portuguese. It comes from até mais ver – “until I see you again”, or more literally, “until more to see”.

Another variant is até mais tarde – “see you later!”

If someone says até mais to you, you can respond with a simple até!, or even just té!

As well as meaning “more”, mais can also mean “plus”. So sometimes you'll see people writing até mais online as t+. Geddit?

“See You Soon” in Portuguese: Até logo

To say “see you soon” in Portuguese, use até logo.

Até logo is mostly used in the same situations in which you'd say “see you soon” in English. For example, if you're on the phone with someone whom you'll see later that day, you could sign off with an até logo.

Até logo can also be used in a more general sense to mean “goodbye”, but this isn't very common, especially in informal, everyday speech.

Até breve is synonymous with até logo; however, it's not very widely used these days.

“See You Tomorrow” in Portuguese: Até amanhã

One more point regarding até. As you may have figured out, this word functions a lot like the English expression “see ya!” in Portuguese. And like in English, you can use it with a specific time-related word if you have a good idea of when you're going to see the person again.

So you could say até amanhã! (“see you tomorrow”), até a semana que vem! (“see you next week”), or até segunda/terça/quarta/quinta (“see you on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday”). And, of course, there are many more possibilities.

“I’m Outta Here” in Portuguese: Vou vazar / tô vazando

Vazar literally means “to leak”. However, vou vazar has nothing to do with the English expression “to take a leak”!

In Brazil, vou vazar or tô vazando is a super-informal way to say that you're leaving. It's like saying “I'm getting outta here!” or “I'm taking off!” in English.

“May God Be With You” in Portuguese: Vai com Deus

We already covered adeus, but that's not the only religion-tinted expression you'll find in a country as Christian as Brazil.

Another phrase to know is vai com Deus — or the more formal alternative, vá com Deus — which literally means “Go with God!” It's kind of like saying “goodbye, and bless you!”; you're wishing blessings and good fortune to the person you're talking to.

A similar expression is fica com Deus – “be with God”. This is something you might say when you’re leaving a place to the people who are staying behind. You're blessing them and the place they're in. May God be with them!

“I’m Off” in Portuguese: Fui

Fui is the first-person singular past tense of ir, “to go”. So it means “I went” or “I'm gone”.

Use it when you're leaving a place – that is, if you don't feel the need to bless everybody with a fica com Deus!

It's like saying “I'm off!” in English.

Another Way to Say “Bye” in Portuguese: Falou

Falou literally means “you/he/she said (it)!” It's a highly informal way of saying “goodbye”, and is very common among young people.

The implication behind falou is that you've already said everything that needs to be said; the conversation is over.

In text speak you'll often see this written as “flw”. You might also see “vlw flw”, which is short for valeu, falou – “thanks, bye!”

“I’ve Gotta Run” in Portuguese: Vou Nessa

Vou nessa is short for vou nessa onda – “I'm going on this wave”. Strange as it may sound, this is yet another way to say “goodbye” in Portuguese.

In particular, vou nessa is the kind of thing you'd say if you're at a party or someone's house and you want to leave earlier than anticipated; sort of an apologetic “goodbye”.

“Gente, vou nessa porque tô com muito sono” – “Guys, I'm ‘going on this (wave)' because I'm really tired”.

Formal Goodbyes in Portuguese: Bom dia/Boa tarde/Boa noite

Finally, it's time to examine three very common Portuguese expressions: bom dia, boa tarde, and boa noite, which respectively mean “good morning”, “good afternoon/evening”, and “good night”.

All three are typically used as greetings, rather than as ways to say goodbye. You, of course, should only say them at the appropriate time of day (before midday for bom dia, between midday and 7pm for boa tarde, and after 7pm for boa noite. Note that bom dia is literally “good day” in Portuguese, but it's only used to mean “good morning”.)

However, you might sometimes hear these three expressions being used to mean “goodbye” in certain formal situations. For example, on TV news, when the anchor is signing off at the end of the show, they might say bom dia or boa tarde.

Also, you can say boa noite to mean “goodbye” if it's late at night. The implication — just like in English — is that you, or the person you're speaking to, is about to go to bed. So it's just like saying the English “good night” in Portuguese.

And Now It’s Time for Me to Say “Goodbye” in Portuguese!

Falou! I hope you've learned a thing or two. And until the next time, tchau.