Ways to Say 'Goodbye'
2024-02-09
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1It is never easy to say goodbye, but at least in English, we have many ways to do so.
2For my final Everyday Grammar, I want to share the many ways to say goodbye in English.
3There are polite or formal ways.
4There are also ways we can say goodbye in everyday conversation, including fun slang that you can use.
5"Goodbye" is believed to have come from the expression, "God be with ye," about 500 years ago.
6"Ye" is an old form of "you." Over time "God" became "good."
7Today, the expression is for wishing someone well when you are leaving.
8"Goodbye" is probably the most common way to say this.
9Shorter forms include "bye" and "bye-bye."
10If you enjoy the 1990's pop band, NSYNC, you can say: "Bye Bye Bye!"
11"It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie
12Baby, bye bye bye"
13When you part with someone and you want to wish them a good time, you can use this general structure:
14Have + a + adjective + period of time:
15Have a good night!
16Have a wonderful weekend!
17Have a nice day.
18"Have" is in the imperative form of the verb.
19The imperative form gives instructions, directions or commands. Imperative sentences use the base form of the verb.
20If parting ways with someone during the nighttime, we combine "good" with "night" to wish someone a "goodnight."
21We use this expression usually when going to sleep at night.
22I always say "goodnight" to everyone in my house before bedtime.
23We use other command forms in formal settings to say "goodbye."
24"Take care (of yourself)" is meant to wish someone physical or emotional health.
25If we have enjoyed our time with someone we can say:
26It was a pleasure speaking with you.
27It + form of "be" in present or past tense + article and noun or adjective + gerund + (with) you.
28It was great seeing you this weekend.
29We can also say that we "look forward to" seeing or speaking with someone. This expression suggests hope for the future.
30I look forward to our next meeting.
31I look forward to seeing you then.
32I look forward to speaking with you.
33Shorter forms of this expression include a sentence with "will."
34I will see you then.
35See you then!
36Speak to you then!
37When speaking with friends and family, you can use informal ways to communicate leaving.
38Shorter forms like "see you" are said even more conversationally when "you" becomes "ya" in fast speech.
39We can combine the expression with an adverb to say when we will see someone in the future.
40See you soon!
41See ya' later.
42See ya' around!
43Catch you later.
44Catch ya' later.
45To express a similar meaning, we can use a prepositional phrase with "until." There is no subject or object. Just the preposition is used.
46Until + time expression
47Until then.
48Until Tuesday!
49Until next week!
50If you need to quickly leave, you can use these expressions. "Gotta" is a contraction that is used in everyday speech.
51I've got to go.
52I've gotta go.
53I'm heading off.
54If you want someone to connect with you in the future, you can use these:
55Don't be a stranger.
56Keep in touch!
57If someone is leaving you on a trip, you can wish them a safe journey:
58Have a safe trip!
59Drive safely.
60Drive safe!
61Safe travels!
62Note that in "drive safe," "safe" is, what is sometimes called, a "flat" adverb.
63These are older adverb forms in English that do not use the -ly ending.
64Phrases "sleep tight" or "go slow" are examples.
65Another expression that uses a flat adverb is "take it easy."
66And lastly, if you must leave quickly, you can use the expression:
67I've got to hit the road.
68I gotta hit the road.
69We often use it when we are going to drive somewhere, but we can use it for other means of travel.
70Finally, we have a few slang words that are used very informally in speech, especially by some groups of people.
71Slang is often spoken by young people and is generational, meaning that each new generation has its own slang.
72Remember, using slang is very informal and not a good idea in groups of people who are of several different age groups.
73From the expression "see you later," we get the one-word slang expression "later."
74You can use this word by itself or with the person's name.
75Later!
76Later, John!
77We also have the expression:
78I'm out of here.
79We can make this even more informal by shortening "out of" to "outta."
80I'm outta here.
81One of my favorite expressions was often heard in 1990's and early 2000's hip hop music: "bounce."
82According to Urban Dictionary, to "bounce" means to leave and go somewhere else better or quickly.
83A song by Destiny's Child, "Say My Name," uses this expression:
84See you gotta bounce
85When two seconds ago
86You said you just got in the house
87In today's Everyday Grammar, we talked about different expressions we can use to say "goodbye."
88Many "goodbye" expressions in both formal and everyday language use the imperative form.
89We also looked at some fun slang words for "goodbye."
90I wanted to thank our audience for the past two years here at VOA Learning English.
91This might not be "goodbye," maybe it is just "see ya later!"
92Take care,
93I'm Faith Pirlo. And I'm John Russel.
1It is never easy to say goodbye, but at least in English, we have many ways to do so. For my final Everyday Grammar, I want to share the many ways to say goodbye in English. 2There are polite or formal ways. There are also ways we can say goodbye in everyday conversation, including fun slang that you can use. 3"Goodbye" is believed to have come from the expression, "God be with ye," about 500 years ago. "Ye" is an old form of "you." Over time "God" became "good." Today, the expression is for wishing someone well when you are leaving. 4"Goodbye" is probably the most common way to say this. Shorter forms include "bye" and "bye-bye." If you enjoy the 1990's pop band, NSYNC, you can say: "Bye Bye Bye!" 5"It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie 6Baby, bye bye bye" 7In formal conversation 8When you part with someone and you want to wish them a good time, you can use this general structure: 9Have + a + adjective + period of time: 10Have a good night! 11Have a wonderful weekend! 12Have a nice day. 13"Have" is in the imperative form of the verb. The imperative form gives instructions, directions or commands. Imperative sentences use the base form of the verb. 14If parting ways with someone during the nighttime, we combine "good" with "night" to wish someone a "goodnight." We use this expression usually when going to sleep at night. 15I always say "goodnight" to everyone in my house before bedtime. 16We use other command forms in formal settings to say "goodbye." 17"Take care (of yourself)" is meant to wish someone physical or emotional health. 18If we have enjoyed our time with someone we can say: 19It was a pleasure speaking with you. 20It + form of "be" in present or past tense + article and noun or adjective + gerund + (with) you. 21It was great seeing you this weekend. 22We can also say that we "look forward to" seeing or speaking with someone. This expression suggests hope for the future. 23I look forward to our next meeting. 24I look forward to seeing you then. 25I look forward to speaking with you. 26Shorter forms of this expression include a sentence with "will." 27I will see you then. 28See you then! 29Speak to you then! 30In everyday conversation 31When speaking with friends and family, you can use informal ways to communicate leaving. 32Shorter forms like "see you" are said even more conversationally when "you" becomes "ya" in fast speech. We can combine the expression with an adverb to say when we will see someone in the future. 33See you soon! 34See ya' later. 35See ya' around! 36Catch you later. 37Catch ya' later. 38To express a similar meaning, we can use a prepositional phrase with "until." There is no subject or object. Just the preposition is used. 39Until + time expression 40Until then. 41Until Tuesday! 42Until next week! 43If you need to quickly leave, you can use these expressions. "Gotta" is a contraction that is used in everyday speech. 44I've got to go. 45I've gotta go. 46I'm heading off. 47If you want someone to connect with you in the future, you can use these: 48Don't be a stranger. 49Keep in touch! 50If someone is leaving you on a trip, you can wish them a safe journey: 51Have a safe trip! 52Drive safely. 53Drive safe! 54Safe travels! 55Note that in "drive safe," "safe" is, what is sometimes called, a "flat" adverb. These are older adverb forms in English that do not use the -ly ending. Phrases "sleep tight" or "go slow" are examples. 56Another expression that uses a flat adverb is "take it easy." 57And lastly, if you must leave quickly, you can use the expression: 58I've got to hit the road. 59I gotta hit the road. 60We often use it when we are going to drive somewhere, but we can use it for other means of travel. 61Slang 62Finally, we have a few slang words that are used very informally in speech, especially by some groups of people. Slang is often spoken by young people and is generational, meaning that each new generation has its own slang. Remember, using slang is very informal and not a good idea in groups of people who are of several different age groups. 63From the expression "see you later," we get the one-word slang expression "later." You can use this word by itself or with the person's name. 64Later! 65Later, John! 66We also have the expression: 67I'm out of here. 68We can make this even more informal by shortening "out of" to "outta." 69I'm outta here. 70One of my favorite expressions was often heard in 1990's and early 2000's hip hop music: "bounce." 71According to Urban Dictionary, to "bounce" means to leave and go somewhere else better or quickly. 72A song by Destiny's Child, "Say My Name," uses this expression: 73See you gotta bounce 74When two seconds ago 75You said you just got in the house 76Final thoughts 77In today's Everyday Grammar, we talked about different expressions we can use to say "goodbye." Many "goodbye" expressions in both formal and everyday language use the imperative form. We also looked at some fun slang words for "goodbye." 78I wanted to thank our audience for the past two years here at VOA Learning English. This might not be "goodbye," maybe it is just "see ya later!" 79Take care, 80I'm Faith Pirlo. And I'm John Russel. 81Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 82__________________________________________ 83Words in This Story 84formal - adj. language that is used for serious or official writing and speaking 85slang - n. a word or expression that is not standard usage, is considered very informal and is usually used by people of a certain age group or ethnic background 86What do you think of this week's Everyday Grammar? We want to hear from you. Write to us at learningenglish@voanews.com or leave us a comment below. 87We want to hear from you. 88Our comment policy is here.