65+ Ways to Say “Goodbye” in Spanish

---

How exactly do you say “goodbye” in Spanish? Is it okay to say adiós? Does hasta la vista, baby work?

Answers to all those questions coming up…

If you’re planning on travelling to a Spanish-speaking region or having interactions in Spanish, one of the first things you need to learn is how to say “goodbye” in Spanish.

Why?

Because whether you’re mainly using English, or speaking entirely in Spanish, the conversation will come to an end, and it will be time to say “goodbye”.

So why not say “goodbye” in Spanish?

No te preocupes, amigo! (“Don’t worry, friend!”) I’ve got you covered and I’m about to show you exactly how to do just that.

Below you’ll find the many different ways to say “goodbye” in Spanish. In less than it takes to take a siesta (“nap”), you’ll be all set to say “bye” in Spanish like a pro.

Listos? Vamos! (“Ready? Let’s go!”)

How To Say Goodbye in Spanish: Adiós, the First Spanish Goodbye Students Learn

Adiós is often used as “goodbye” or more rarely as “farewell” in Spanish. In some cultures, it sounds a lot like a permanent statement, a ‘final goodbye’.

If you don’t want to get too involved with adiós yet or feel like being more creative, you could consider…

Using Phrases with Hasta… (“Until…”)

Building phrases with hasta… is very practical as you can create many customized expressions.

“Until Next Time” in Spanish: Hasta La Próxima

“Next time” in Spanish is la próxima vez, but hasta la próxima vez is not used as a goodbye. Instead, you say hasta la próxima, in which la próxima (the feminine version of “the next”) stands alone. The expression literally translates as “until the next” but it means “until next time”.

You can “upgrade” hasta la próxima – or hasta el próximo if the word you add is masculine – by adding time expressions. In this case, the phrase would be translated as “see you next…”

Examples:

• Hasta el próximo mes. – “See you next month.”
• Hasta la próxima semana. – “See you next week.”
• Hasta el próximo martes. – “See you next Tuesday.”

You can forego the próximo before mentioning the day of the week: Hasta el martes (“See you on Tuesday”). It helps make it less of a mouthful.

While hasta la próxima is informal in any region, the various expressions that use it as a base are fit for formal conversations that still remain borderline casual — like with colleagues or a boss you’re on easy terms with.

“See You Later” in Spanish: Hasta Luego

Luego is “after” in Spanish, but in the expression hasta luego it means “later”. This goodbye can be both formal and informal.

“See You Soon” in Spanish: Hasta Pronto

When you pair hasta… with pronto (“soon”), you get one of the Spanish phrases for “see you soon”: hasta pronto. It is less used than hasta luego and is usually informal.

“See You Tomorrow” in Spanish: Hasta Mañana

Mañana is defined as both “morning” and “tomorrow” in Spanish, but when used in hasta mañana it has only one meaning: “see you tomorrow”.

“See You Then” in Spanish: Hasta Entonces

Though rarely used, hasta entonces (“see you then”) can be employed to say goodbye to someone if the time of your next meeting has been agreed upon.

The Popular Hasta La Vista…

This one has fallen in disuse as it has become almost a reflex to conclude it with “baby”. Ah, Hollywood…

Hasta la vista (literally “until sight”) is now mostly meant to be a ridiculous, fancy or sassy goodbye.

Hasta Siempre – A Farewell in Spanish

Hasta siempre (literally “until forever”) is not much used as it has a never-to-see-you-again connotation as a last goodbye.

When you say hasta siempre, you mean that even though the person will be physically far from you, they will forever remain in your mind and heart. It has its place in teary final scenes of tragic romantic movies but not in everyday life.

Tip: If you are saying goodbye to someone you think you’ll never see again — or not for a long time — and aren’t willing to get all dramatic about it, opt for the standard adiós, que te/le/os/les vaya bien (“take care”, literally “that everything will go well for you”), or suerte con todo (“good luck with everything”).

Hasta Nunca – “Until Never”

If you’ve been seriously offended by someone and plan on never crossing paths with them again, you can make your intention stand clear with an hasta nunca (“until never”). They will know how angry you are.

Hasta nunca can also be used as a joke among close friends if you use a playful tone. It even has a softer and very informal version (hasta nunqui) which is childish and completely defeats the purpose of the sharp nunca.

Using Nos Vemos – “We’ll See Each Other”

Casual and informal — but just slightly so — nos vemos is literally translated as “we see ourselves” but it means “we’ll see each other” in the sense of “see you”. When used alone, nos vemos usually refers to seeing each other in the near future, but it can also form the basis of other phrases.

Like hasta…, nos vemos… can be paired with luego (“later”) and pronto (“soon”). It even has more possibilities, among which you can count después (“after”), más tarde (“later”), and a las cuatro (“at four” or any other hour).

Expressions created with nos vemos… can be informal or formal depending on the region: nos vemos más tarde is informal in any case while nos vemos a las cuatro can be formal or colloquial.

“See You Around” in Spanish: Nos Vemos Por Ahí

An appropriate goodbye to part ways with people with whom you haven’t fixed a precise time to see each other again is nos vemos por ahí (“see you around”). Beware the heavy informality! You should use this one only with people with whom you would use tú.

Variants of this expression include:

• Allí nos vemos – literally: “We’ll see each other there.” This one may be used to indicate an actual place (if you’ve decided that you’ll meet at a restaurant, for example), but if used in a general sense, the allí takes the meaning of “around”.
• A ver si nos vemos un día de estos – literally: “Let’s see if we see each other one of these days.”
• Ya nos veremos un día de estos – literally: “We’ll see each other one of these days.”

Using Te Veo – “I’ll See You”

Te veo literally translates as “I see you”, but it has a far less creepy meaning when used as a goodbye in Spanish. It is informal, for which it is fairly commonly used to say bye to a friend, and has no version with usted.

As with nos vemos, you can complement te veo with an indication of when you expect to see the other person again:

• Te veo luego – “I’ll see you later.”
• Te veo a las cuatro – “I’ll see you at four.”
• Te veo en la próxima reunión – “I’ll see you at the next meeting.”

Other Informal Ways to Say Goodbye in Spanish

There is no exact way to say “bye bye” in Spanish, but there are some colloquial expressions that you can use instead. These are reserved for friends and people with whom you are on informal terms.

Foreign Words to Say Goodbye in Spanish

Like any living language, Spanish has adopted some foreign expressions into its vocabulary. Sometimes, they even outrank the original Spanish words in frequency of use.

In many Spanish-speaking regions, a common way to say “bye” is chao, or chau, which you might recognize as a mutation of the Italian ciao. This four-lettered word is part of the legacy of the considerable Italian 19th-century immigration. It is particularly popular in Argentina.

Be ready for the next one, because it is mind-blowing. In some parts of Latin America, such as in the Dominican Republic, you might often hear people parting ways with a… “Bye!” This is due to the United States’ influence on Latin American countries both in the past and present days.

How to Say “I’m out” in Spanish: Ya Me Voy

How can you say “bye” more informally than by saying (ya) me voy (“I’m out”, literally “I’m leaving”)?

It is possible, and Spanish-speaking people have their own version of it. In some Latin American countries, you could tell your friends me fui (“I’m gone”).

Warmer Goodbyes in Spanish

Yes, saying “goodbye” is polite, but sometimes you may want to say something warmer before parting ways with a friend or someone you appreciate.

“Take care”, “have a good day”, and “have fun” all have equivalents in Spanish.

How to Say “Take Care” in Spanish: Cuídate

Cuidarse means “taking care of oneself”, so cuídate is Spanish for “take care”.

Remember to adapt the conjugation of cuidarse depending on the person or people you are addressing:

• cuídate → singular and informal “you” (tú)
• cuidate → singular and informal “you” (vos)
• cuídese → singular, formal “you” (usted)
• cuidaos → plural informal “you” in Spain (vosotros)
• cuídense → general plural “you” in Latin America and plural formal “you” in Spain (ustedes)

To show even more consideration, you can add bien (“good”) or mucho (“a lot”): cuídate bien, cuídense mucho.

How to Say “Have a Good Day” in Spanish: Que Tengas un Buen Día

Spanish is a language that seems to have a fondness for abundance. This is reflected in the many ways available to say “have a good day”.

The first and most formal one is feliz día (literally “happy day”). You might use it with in-laws, a boss, or an elder person with whom you use usted. If you’d rather wish a “good rest of the day”, then say feliz resto del día.

For a goodbye a couple of notches down on the formality scale, use que tengas (un) buen día and que pases (un) buen día, or simply buen día. Remember to conjugate the verb appropriately depending on the person or people you are addressing:

• (tú or vos) tengas/pases
• (usted) tenga/pase
• (vosotros) tengais/paseis
• (ustedes)tengan/pasen

How to Say “Have a Good Evening” in Spanish

There is no way to translate “have a good evening” in Spanish simply because there isn’t a Spanish equivalent for “evening”. In fact, as soon as the tarde (“afternoon”) is over, the noche (“night”) kicks in. This happens around 6, 7, or 8 pm, depending on the region’s culture.

Therefore, if you want to wish someone a good evening in Spanish, you will need to wish them a good night.

How to Say “Have a Good Night” in Spanish: Feliz Noche

Like with “have a good day”, there are several ways to tell someone to “have a good night” in Spanish.

You should use feliz noche (literally “happy night”) with the same people with whom you would use feliz día.

Que tengas (una) buena noche, que pases (una) buena noche, or simply buena noche are also good options.

How to Say “Have a Good Time” in Spanish: Pásalo Bien or Disfruta

Pásalo bien is more informal than disfruta, but both are ways to say “have a good time” or “enjoy”.

The two expressions can also be used with the other “you” pronouns.

• (usted) páselo bien/disfrute
• (vosotros) pasadlo bien/disfrutad
• (ustedes) pásenlo bien/disfruten

How to Say “Have Fun” in Spanish: Diviértete

Divertirse is the Spanish verb for “having fun”. To tell someone to have fun when you part ways, you will say:

• (tu or vos) diviértete
• (usted) diviértase
• (vosotros) divertíos
• (ustedes) diviértanse

How to Say “Rest” in Spanish: Descansa

Let’s say you’ve had an exceptionally tense week at work, or you’ve just had a tiresome dance training. Either way, you can tell your colleagues/dance partner to “rest”, which in Spanish is as thoughtful as it would be to wish someone to have a good day.

Here’s how you can do it:

• (tú or vos) descansa
• (usted) descanse
• (vosotros) descasad
• (ustedes) descansen

How to Say “You Too” in Spanish

When someone tells you to “take care”, you will most probably answer with a variant of “you too”.

In Spanish, you can say tú también (“you too”), tú igual (“you too”, literally “you equal”), igualmente (“(you) equally”), or, more informally, igual (“same”).

What if you want to say “you too” to someone with whom you don’t use tú? As there is no verb in the phrases, nothing will change except for the pronoun: usted también, vosotros igual.

How to Say “I Hope to See You Soon” in Spanish: Espero verte pronto

Espero verte pronto (“I hope to see you soon”) is a good way to make sure you part ways in a friendly way.

If you don’t know whether you’ll cross paths with someone again, you can tell them espero volver a verte (“I hope to see you again”).

You can answer to such a goodbye by saying yo también (“me too”).

Say Goodbye to Someone You Just Met in Spanish

When you have just met someone and are about to leave each on your own way, opt for an encantado/a (“glad (to have met you)”, literally “enchanted”), un placer (“a pleasure”), or mucho gusto (“nice to meet you”). It is common to repeat it as a goodbye, even if you had already said it right after introducing each other.

Sometimes, More Is Better for Saying “Goodbye” in Spanish!

Have you ever eaten in a Spanish restaurant? They are famous for the incredible quantities of food they serve. Likewise, you can get a double-portion of goodbyes in Spanish.

Examples:

• Bye, ¡nos vemos!
• Adiós, ya me voy.
• Chao, nos vemos el martes.
• Te veo, ¡cuídate!
• Nos vemos mañana, descansa.

Additionally, Spanish-speaking people are very fond of filling blank spaces in conversations with bueno (“well”) and pues (“then”) that somewhat stand for “ok”. Very often, they will say one of the two to conclude your interaction and then add the goodbye phrase. They might even say both!

Examples:

• Bueno, ya nos vemos. – “Ok, see you.”
• Pues, ¡hasta manana! – “Ok, see you tomorrow.”
• Bueno… Pues, te veo en el aeropuerto – “Well, I’ll see you at the airport, then.”

Spanish Goodbyes for Letters, Emails, Texts, and Phone Calls

As you’ve already seen with in-person goodbyes, there are a myriad of ways to say bye in Spanish, including for written correspondence or by phone.

Here is a list of the most common:

Letters and Emails

Closing emails and letters is an art form in all languages, but you cannot go wrong if you use these words and phrases in Spanish.

On a scale of most to least formal, here are the principal Spanish written closures:

• Atentamente – “sincerely”, literally “with attention”. Atentamente can be used on its own or as le(s) saluda atentamente, me despido atentamente, or se despide atentamente.
• Cordialmente – “cordially”. It can be used in the same way as “atentamente”, but it is a notch below in formality.
• Mejores saludos/deseos – “best regards/wishes”
• Cariñosos saludos – “affectionate regards”
• Afectuosamente – “affectionately” or “yours affectionately”
• Con todo mi cariño/afecto – “with all my affection”
• Besos y abrazos – “kisses and hugs”

Texts and Phone Calls

In addition to most of the spoken phrases you’ve previously learnt in this post, there are a few typical expressions you may use to end a call. “Talk to you later” in Spanish is hablamos luego, which actually translates as “we’ll talk later”. It can also be contracted to simply hablamos (“we (will) talk”), and its more correct equivalent is te vuelvo a llamar pronto (“I’ll call you again soon”).

Un beso (“a kiss”) and un abrazo (“a hug”) can conclude a call and are also used in texting given their shortness. Chau/o and bye serve the same purpose. In the language of extra-short messages, you can obviously opt for a TQM, the abbreviation of te quiero mucho (“I love you a lot”) or salu2, which stands for saludos (“goodbye”).

The Noun “Goodbye” in Spanish

If you haven’t learnt the correct way to say goodbye in Spanish, you might be in for some awkward despedidas (“goodbyes”).

The despedida is the act of saying goodbye, but it also means “farewell” and “farewell party”. A despedida de soltera is a bachelorette’s party while una despedida para un colega is a going-away party for a colleague.

The Verb Despedirse (“To Say Goodbye”)

Despedirse (“to say goodbye”) is a reflexive verb that belongs to the third group of Spanish verbs. It is irregular, for which its root changes when it is conjugated.

• (yo) me despido
• (tú) te despides (Note: The people of certain Latin American countries, such as Argentina, use vos instead of tú as the informal singular “you”, for which they would say (vos) te despedís instead of (tú) te despides.)
• (él/ella/usted) se despide (Note: Usted is the formal singular “you”.)
• (nosotros) nos despedimos
• (vosotros) os despedís (Note: Vosotros is the informal plural “you” used in Spain, but not in other Spanish-speaking countries.)
• (ellos/ellas/ustedes) se despiden (Note: Ustedes is the formal plural “you” in Spain, but it is employed as the plural “you” for any occasion throughout Latin America.)

In certain Spanish-speaking regions, me despido or nos despedimos can be used as a goodbye when a person addresses a group of people, either on their behalf or that of the group of people that will leave with them (e.g.: their children). It is polite and formal enough to be uncommon among close friends or youth, but adult acquaintances do use it.

Formal letters may also end in me despido, se despide, or se despiden.

Here’s Why There are So Many Ways to Say “Goodbye” in Spanish

An estimated 580 million people are either fluent in Spanish or learning it.

Spanish is the official language in 21 countries spread over three continents, and in some big countries, such as in Venezuela, the connotation of a word might change slightly from region to region.

The purpose of this introduction is to make you aware that… there isn’t only one way to speak Spanish!

What may be considered a formal and distant goodbye in some regions might turn out to be casual and warm in others — simply because there is a literal ocean in between the two places.

You might think this will make your learning harder, but it does the exact opposite! Once you get acquainted with all the ways to say goodbye in Spanish listed in this post, it will be easy for you to get the hang of which are most used by the people with whom you’ll interact.

With that knowledge in hand and your desire to learn, you are going to be terrific at saying goodbye in Spanish!