When learning German, it’s best to start with the basics. The first thing you learned was probably how to say hi in German, but soon enough you’ll have to say goodbye, as well.
It’s not only crucial in all business contexts, from politely ending a meeting or job interview to signing off an email. Every personal conversation also eventually ends with goodbye, so there’s no way around saying it.
We know goodbyes can be hard but as always, we’re here to support you. So we’ve listed all the different ways to say Goodbye in German - from formal to silly - plus some helpful phrases on how to gracefully end a conversation and sneak out of any situation.
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How to say goodbye in German
Goodbye in German is “Auf Wiedersehen” [aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən]. Pronounced “Ouf weeder-zeh-hen”. It’s a formal way of saying “To meeting again”, with a cheerful undertone, like a toast. Ironically, it’s used more often with strangers, so with people you actually won’t see again.
In more casual contexts between colleagues or friends, you’re more likely to hear a simple “Tschüss” [t͡ʃyːs], starting with a harsh “tch”-sound, followed by the ‘ü’, and ending with a sharp, whistling ‘s’. It fittingly sounds a bit like a choo-choo training leaving the station with a t-chug and a whistle.
| English | German | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye | Auf Wiedersehen | [aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən] |
| Bye | Tschüss | [t͡ʃyːs] |
| Bye bye | Tschüss Tschüss | [t͡ʃyːs t͡ʃyːs] |
| Goodbye, until next time | Auf Wiedersehen, bis zum nächsten Mal | [aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌzeːən bɪs t͡sʊm ˈnɛːçstən maːl] |
| Farewell | Lebe wohl | [ˈleːbə voːl] |
| See you soon | Bis bald | [bɪs ˈbalt] |
| See you then | Bis dann | [bɪs ˈdan] |
| See you | Man sieht sich | [man ziːt zɪç] |
| Bye, my friend | Auf Wiedersehen, mein Freund | Bye, my friend |
| Bye, friends | Auf Wiedersehen, Freunde | Bye, friends |
| Bye, my love | Auf Wiedersehen, mein Schatz | Bye, my love |
| Goodbye, have a nice day | Tschüss, schönen Tag | [t͡ʃʏs ˈʃøːnən taːk] |
| Good evening | Guten Abend | [ˈɡuːtn̩ ˈaːbn̩t] |
| Good night | Gute Nacht | [ˌɡutə ˈnaxt] |
How to say goodbye in German formally
Saying goodbye to a stranger, like the cashier or your server in a restaurant, it will be enough to say thank you in German and then leave with a simple “Tschüss” or “Auf Wiedersehen”.
In a business context, you’re more likely to meet the other person again. So just like you tell your colleagues “See you on Monday” after the workweek, in German it’s also common to specify when you’ll see them again. Knowing the days of the week in German comes in handy, but we’ve also listed them all here.
| English | German | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| See you again | Auf Wiederschauen | [aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌˈʃaʊ̯ən] |
| Hear you again | Auf Wiederhören | [aʊ̯f ˈviːdɐˌhøːʁən] |
| Have a good night | Einen schönen Abend noch | [ˈaɪ̯nən ˈʃøːnən ˈaːbn̩t nɔx] |
| Have a good day | Einen schönen Tag noch | [ˈaɪ̯nən ˈʃøːnən taːk nɔx] |
| Until tomorrow | Bis morgen | [bɪs ˈmɔʁɡn̩] |
| Until the day after tomorrow | Bis übermorgen | [bɪs ˈyːbɐˌmɔʁɡn̩] |
| Until Monday | Bis Montag | [bɪs ˈmoːnˌtaːk] |
| Until Tuesday | Bis Dienstag | [bɪs ˈdiːnsˌtaːk] |
| Until Wednesday | Bis Mittwoch | [bɪs ˈmɪtˌvɔx] |
| Until Thursday | Bis Donnerstag | [bɪs ˈdɔnɐsˌtaːk] |
| Until Friday | Bis Freitag | [bɪs ˈfʁaɪ̯taːk] |
| Until Saturday | Bis Samstag | [bɪs ˈzamstaːk] |
| Until Sunday | Bis Sonntag | [bɪs ˈzɔnˌtaːk] |
How to say goodbye in German informally
Bye in German is “Tschüss” [t͡ʃʏs]. If you want to be extra casual, you can add an i to the word and make it a little cuter that way: Tschüssi!
Need a more elegant way to end a conversation than a straight “Tschüssi”? You’re trying to leave the party early or don’t want to participate in a survey? Here are some useful phrases to save you.
| English | German | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| Bye bye | Tschüss Tschüss | [t͡ʃʏs t͡ʃʏs] |
| Bye-i | Tschüssi | [t͡ʃʏsi] |
| Toodles | Tüdelü | [ty:dəly:] |
| Take care | Mach’s gut | [maxs gu:t] |
| Clear out | Hau rein | [haʊ̯ ʁaɪ̯n] |
| Get off | Hau ab | [haʊ̯ a:p] |
| Ciao | Ciao | [t͡sɪa:ɔ] |
| I gotta get up early tomorrow | Ich muss morgen früh aufstehen | [ɪç mʊs mɔɐ̯gən fʁy: aʊ̯fʃte:ən] |
| I gotta run an errand | Ich hab ‘was zu erledigen | [ɪç ha:p vas t͡su: ɛɐ̯le:dɪgən] |
| I have some more work to do | Ich muss noch etwas arbeiten | [ɪç mʊs nɔx ɛtvas aɐ̯baɪ̯tən] |
| I gotta go | Ich muss los | [ɪç mʊs lo:s] |
| I’m in a hurry | Ich hab’s eilig | [ɪç ha:ps aɪ̯lɪç] |
| Please excuse me | Entschuldigen Sie mich | [ɛntʃʊldɪgən zi: mɪç] |
| I’m not feeling well | Mir geht es nicht gut | [mi:ɐ̯ ge:t ɛs nɪçt gu:t] |
| Sorry, I’m getting a phone call | Entschuldigung, ich bekomme gerade einen Anruf | [ɛntʃʊldɪgʊŋ ɪç bəkɔmə gəʁa:də aɪ̯nən anʁu:f] |
Additionally, if you’re looking to up your German colloquialism, you can read more about informal slang phrases and expressions in German here.
How to sign off in an email in German
There’s a number of ways to sign off an email. All the ways to say goodbye in person usually work in writing as well, but here are a few extra ones specific to signing off a letter or an email.
| English | German | IPA | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| With friendly greetings | Mit freundlichen Grüßen | [mɪt fʁɔʏ̯ntlɪçən gʁʏsən] | Used in a formal context with a stranger |
| I’m looking forward to your reply. | Ich freue mich auf Ihre Antwort. | [ɪç fʁɔʏ̯ə mɪç aʊ̯f i:ʁə antvɔɐ̯t] | Used in a formal context with a stranger |
| Many regards | Viele Grüße | [fi:lə gʁʏsə] | Used in both formal and casual settings |
| Friendly regards | Freundliche Grüße | [fʁɔʏ̯ntlɪçə gʁʏsə] | Used in both formal and casual settings |
| Warm regards | Herzliche Grüße | [hɛɐ̯t͡slɪçə gʁʏsə] | Used in a casual setting |
| Kind regards | Liebe Grüße | [li:bə gʁʏsə] | Used in a more casual setting |
See you later, alligator!
If you’re a fan of dad jokes or your sense of humor is so funny it occasionally makes some people roll their eyes, you might also be prone to using expressions like “See you later, alligator” and “In a while, crocodile”.
Well, Germans can be funny, too! Here’s a list of silly goodbyes in German that rhyme.
| English | German | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| See you later, Peter | Bis später, Peter | [bɪs ʃpɛ:tɐ pe:tɐ] |
| Clear out, Hain | Hau rein, Hain | [haʊ̯ ʁaɪ̯n haɪ̯n] |
| Bye, granola | Tschüssli, Müsli | [tʃʏslɪ mʏsli:] |
| Ciao, cocoa | Ciao, Kakao | [t͡sɪa:ɔ kaka:ɔ] |
| Ciao, meow | Ciao, Meow | [t͡sɪa:ɔ me:ɔ] |
| Until then, Sven | Bis denn, Sven | [bɪs dɛn svɛn] |
| Bye bye, mashed potatoes | Bye bye, Kartoffelbrei | [bi: bi: kaɐ̯tɔfəlpʁaɪ̯] |
| Take care, sugar loaf | Mach’s gut, Zuckerhut | [maxs gu:t t͡sʊkɐɐ̯hu:t] |
| Byeee with a kiss | Tschüssi mit Küssi | [tʃʏsi: mɪt kʏsi] |
All good things come to an end
Trips to German-speaking countries, language exchange visits and German conversations - eventually all good things unfortunately come to an end - including this guide on how to say goodbye in German, but don’t worry!
We have plenty more resources for you. There’s always another German-class to take when one ends and another article to read!
If you love reading about German culture, German speaking countries and tips on how to learn the German language, you’ll probably enjoy our German blog - an excellent free resource to learn about all things German!
