68 Ways to Say Goodbye in Spanish

When you start studying a foreign language, Spanish included, one of the first things you learn is surely greetings. 

“Hola,” “buenos días,” “buenas tardes,” “adiós” are words that allow you to establish the initial communication in Spanish and are foolproof conversation starters. 

But, as you may well expect, the array of expressions you can use both for greetings and goodbyes is much broader. 

Today I would like to show you some of the most common phrases you can use instead of “adiós.” 

Different Ways of Saying Goodbye in Spanish 

• 🇪🇸 chao – 🇬🇧 bye
• 🇪🇸 buenas noches – 🇬🇧 good night
• 🇪🇸 hasta luego – 🇬🇧 see you later
• 🇪🇸 hasta lunes – 🇬🇧 see you on Monday
• 🇪🇸 hasta pronto – 🇬🇧 see you soon
• 🇪🇸 hasta la vista – 🇬🇧 so long!
• 🇪🇸 hasta la próxima – 🇬🇧 until next time!
• 🇪🇸 hasta nunca – 🇬🇧 good riddance
• 🇪🇸 nos vemos – 🇬🇧 see you
• 🇪🇸 nos vemos mañana – 🇬🇧 see you tomorrow 
• 🇪🇸 nos vemos a la vuelta – 🇬🇧 see you when I get back
• 🇪🇸 tengo que irme – 🇬🇧 I have to go / leave
• 🇪🇸 ya me voy – 🇬🇧 off I go
• 🇪🇸 ya es hora de partir – 🇬🇧 it is time to leave

That is plenty to choose from, isn’t it?

And if you consider that goodbyes rarely go on their own but are often accompanied by little pleasantries, the options of what to say when you are about to leave a place start multiplying. 

What are these polite little phrases? Here’s a bunch of them: 

Pleasantries in Spanish to Add to Your Goodbyes

Before you continue reading, it would be great to review different levels of formality for the pronouns TÚ, USTED, VOSOTROS, and USTEDES. 

If you are a native English speaker, it might be quite challenging for you to differentiate between them, as they all translate as YOU. 

Spanish, nevertheless, requires you to change the pronoun depending on how formal the context is. What’s more – every pronoun goes with a different verb form. 

The examples below are to be used in an informal context and are based on the pronoun TÚ.

• 🇪🇸 cúidate – 🇬🇧 take care 
• 🇪🇸 qué descanses – 🇬🇧 get some rest 
• 🇪🇸 gracias por todo – 🇬🇧 thanks for everything
• 🇪🇸 gracias por venir – 🇬🇧 thanks for dropping  by
• 🇪🇸 qué tengas un buen viaje – 🇬🇧 have a good trip 
• 🇪🇸 qué tengas un buen fin de semana – 🇬🇧 have a good weekend
• 🇪🇸 qué tengas un buen día – 🇬🇧 have a good day
• 🇪🇸 maneja con cuidado – 🇬🇧 drive safely
• 🇪🇸 Felices Fiestas – 🇬🇧 Happy Holidays
• 🇪🇸 suerte en tu examen – 🇬🇧 good luck on your exam
• 🇪🇸 te extrañaré – 🇬🇧 I’ll miss you
• 🇪🇸 te vamos a echar mucho de menos – 🇬🇧 we’ll miss you so much
• 🇪🇸 qué lo pases bien – 🇬🇧 enjoy / have a good time!
• 🇪🇸 te espero – 🇬🇧 I’ll be waiting for you
• 🇪🇸 se me hizo tarde – 🇬🇧 it is late already
• 🇪🇸 saludos a tu mamá –  🇬🇧 Say hi to your mom!
• 🇪🇸 give my best to your wife – 🇬🇧 dale mis saludos a tu esposa
• 🇪🇸 deja que te acompañe hasta la salida – 🇬🇧 let me accompany you to the exit
• 🇪🇸 llevar a alguien (e.g al aeropuerto) – 🇬🇧 to see someone off (e.g. to the airport)
• 🇪🇸 regresa / vuelve pronto – 🇬🇧 come back soon

See? Whatever the situation, you will always find an appropriate way to say goodbye Spanish 😉

And here are some ideas of how you can mix and match these phrases:

🇪🇸
A: Ya me tengo que ir. ¡Buenas noches!
B: Chao, Pedro, ¡nos vemos en la noche!
🇬🇧
A: Off I go! Good night!
B: Bye, Pedro, see you tonight!

🇪🇸
A: Mañana salgo de vacaciones! Nos vemos a la vuelta.
B: Qué lo pases super bien! ¡Nos vemos!
🇬🇧
A: I’m leaving on vacation tomorrow. See you when I get back.
B: Have a great time! See you!

🇪🇸
A: Eso es todo por hoy. Los espero mañana a la hora de siempre. 
B: ¡Gracias profe! ¡Nos vemos!
🇬🇧
A: This is all for today. See you tomorrow, same time. 
B: Thanks, professor! See you!

🇪🇸
A: Chao, abuela. El almuerzo estuvo muy rico. ¡Gracias por todo!
B: De nada mijito, gracias por venir. Te estaré esperando el próximo sábado. 
🇬🇧
A: Bye, grandma! The lunch was delicious. Thanks for everything!
B: You’re welcome honey, thanks for dropping by. I’ll be waiting for you next Saturday. 

🇪🇸
A: Ha llegado mi taxi. Gracias nuevamente. Espero regresar pronto. 
B: ¡Buen viaje, Juan! Te vamos a echar de menos. ¡Saludos a tu familia!
🇬🇧
A: My taxi has arrived. Thanks again. I hope to be back soon.
B: Have a good trip, Juan! We’ll miss you. Greetings to your family!

🇪🇸
A: Chao mamá, vuelvo en cinco días! 
B: No quieres que te acompañe a la estación de trenes?
🇬🇧
A: Bye, mom, I’ll be back in five days.
B: Don’t you want me to see you off at the train station?

🇪🇸
A: Ya es hora de partir. Cuídense mucho. 
B: Chao Carlos, regresa pronto.
🇬🇧
A: It’s time for me to leave. Take care.
B: Bye, Carlos, come back soon. 

When You Don’t Want to Say Goodbye – Useful Expressions in Spanish

Goodbyes are hard sometimes. 

Perhaps we are having too good a time. 

Or we don’t get to see that someone too often. 

Or it is merely polite to insist they stay. 

How to do that in Spanish? How to delay saying goodbye?

• 🇪🇸 quédate un rato / un ratito más – 🇬🇧 stay a (bit) longer
• 🇪🇸 no te vayas todavía – 🇬🇧 don’t leave just yet
• 🇪🇸 no te vayas tan pronto – 🇬🇧 don’t leave so soon
• 🇪🇸 ¿tienes que irte ya? – 🇬🇧 Do you have to leave already?
• 🇪🇸 cinco minutos más, por favor – 🇬🇧 five more minutes, please
• 🇪🇸 pero ni siquiera has comido – 🇬🇧 but you haven’t even eaten
• 🇪🇸 pero si apenas llegaste – 🇬🇧 but you’ve barely arrived
• 🇪🇸 pero si aún es temprano – 🇬🇧 but it is still early
• 🇪🇸 pero si lo estamos pasando tan bien – 🇬🇧 but we’re having such a good time
• 🇪🇸 y si tomas el siguiente bus? – 🇬🇧 and if you take the next bus?
• 🇪🇸 qué lástima – 🇬🇧 what a pity

Quite simple, isn’t it? 

Now, let’s try to build short conversations:

🇪🇸
A: Chicos, los dejo. Mañana tengo que levantarme temprano. 
B: Quédate un ratito más! Yo te llevaré a tu casa después.
🇬🇧
A: Guys, I have to go now. I need to get up early tomorrow.
B: Stay a bit longer! I’ll give you a ride home then.

🇪🇸
A: Adiós, amor. Mi tren sale en media hora. 
B: No te vayas todavía. Deja prepararte un sandwich. 
🇬🇧
A: Bye, darling. My train leaves in half an hour. 
B: Don’t go yet. Let me make you a sandwich. 

🇪🇸
A: Papá, se está poniendo tarde. Tienes que acostarte y a mi me esperan en la casa. 
B: ¿Tienes que irte ya? Casi no vienes a visitarme…
🇬🇧
A: Dad, it is getting late. You need to go to bed, and they are waiting for me at home.
B: Do you have to go already? You almost don’t visit me anymore…

🇪🇸
A: Lo siento, tía pero me tengo que ir yendo. 
B: En serio? Pero si ni siquiera has comido. ¿Seguro que no te puedes quedar más rato?
🇬🇧
A: Sorry, auntie, but I need to get going. 
B: Really? But you haven’t even eaten. Are you sure you can’t stay a while longer?

🇪🇸
A: Chicos, terminó la fiesta. ¡Gracias por venir! Mis papás están por llegar.
B: Pero si lo estamos pasando tan bien. Una canción más y nos vamos, ¿bueno?
🇬🇧
A: Guys, the party is over. Thanks for coming. My folks are about to get home.
B: But we are having such a good time! One more song, and we’re leaving, OK?  

As a mother of two fun-loving teenagers, I know for sure it will take way more than just one song for that party to be over 😉 

How to Say Goodbye in Spanish in a Formal Way

All the phrases and examples we have seen so far were built on an informal context: relatives, friends, workmates, etc. 

How about more formal goodbyes? Would you know how to deal with them in Spanish?

Let’s suppose a client paid you an annual visit and he/she is about to leave:

• 🇪🇸 Lo acompaño hasta la puerta – 🇬🇧 let me accompany you to the door
• 🇪🇸 Fue un placer conocerlo – 🇬🇧 it was a pleasure to meet you
• 🇪🇸 Muchas gracias por la visita – 🇬🇧 thanks for your visit
• 🇪🇸 Le pedí un taxi al aeropuerto – 🇬🇧 I’ve ordered you a taxi to the airport.
• 🇪🇸 ¿Necesita un taxi? – 🇬🇧 it was a pleasure to meet you
• 🇪🇸 Agradezco su tiempo – 🇬🇧 thank you for your time
• 🇪🇸 Estaremos en contacto – 🇬🇧 we’ll be in touch.
• 🇪🇸 Espero haya disfrutado de su visita – 🇬🇧 I hope you’ve enjoyed your visit.

Let’s improvise a few mini conversations when you say goodbye to that client:

🇪🇸
A: Gracias por su visita, señor Gonzalez. ¿Lo acompaño al ascensor?
B: No se preocupe, conozco el camino.
🇬🇧
A: Thank you for your visit, Mr. Gonzalez. Shall I show you off to the elevator?
B: Don’t worry, I know the way. 

🇪🇸
A: Fue un placer conocerla, señora Pérez. Estaremos en contacto.
B: El placer fue mío, señor Castillo. Si, de todas formas. 
🇬🇧
A: It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Pérez. We’ll be in touch.
B: The pleasure was mine, Mr. Castillo. And yes, by all means. 

🇪🇸
A: Hasta el próximo año, señor. Tal cómo pidió, le conseguí un taxi para el aeropuerto. 
B: Muchísimas gracias, Jorge. Despídeme de tu jefe, ¿puedes? 
🇬🇧
A: See you next year, sir. As you requested, I’ve got you a taxi to the airport 
B: Thank you so much, Jorge. Tell your boss I said goodbye, will you?

Not bad. Not bad at all. 🙂
By the way, if Spanish is spoken at your workplace, perhaps you’d like to have a look at the compilation of useful business vocabulary?