Saying Goodbye in Spanish

Most people are familiar with “adiós” to say “goodbye” in Spanish, but if you are planning on travelling to Spain and want to have interactions in Spanish, it is worth learning a few phrases for how to say goodbye depending on the situation!

Let's start with phrases with “hasta” (pronounced “ahs-ta” as the “h” is always silent in Spanish. “Hasta” literally means “until” and building phrases with "hasta…" is very useful as you can create many customized expressions. For example: 

• Hasta...
  • hasta luego (until later - see you later)
  • hasta pronto (until soon - see you soon)
  • hasta mañana (until tomorrow - see you tomorrow)
  • hasta el sábado (until Saturday - see you on Saturday)
• Hasta la próxima…(until next...)
  • hasta la próxima vez (until next time)
  • hasta la próxima semana (until next week)
  • hasta la próxima (without “vez” means until next time, but a bit more informal)
• Hasta siempre - A farewell in Spanish. Hasta siempre (literally “until always/forever”) is a last goodbye. When you say "hasta siempre", you mean that even though the person will be physically far from you, they will remain in your mind and heart. 

If you are wondering about the popular “hasta la vista”, let me tell you it's not really used in Spain... although everyone will know what you mean!

Nos Vemos 

“Nos vemos” literally translates 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:

• Nos vemos pronto (we´ll see each other soon)
• Nos vemos luego (we´ll see each other later)
• Nos vemos a las 10 (we´ll see each other at 10)

Me voy 

“Me voy” could translate as “I'm leaving” in the sense of “I'm off”. It is very natural and frequently used.

Chao

Originally from the Italian “ciao”, the Spanish “chao” is quite informal and not very used by the older generations in Spain. However, chao is widely used in many South American countries, particularly in Argentina.

Que tengas un buen día - Have a nice day

Cuídate - Take care

Finally, how do you say goodbye to someone that you've just met in Spanish? Well, the most frequent word to say would be encantado/a (“pleased to meet you)”, literally “enchanted”) or un placer (“a pleasure”), or even mucho gusto (“nice to meet you”, a bit more formal). It is common to say these words when you're introduced to the person and say them again as you say goodbye to them. 

I hope you found these phrases useful. The best way to start integrating them is by picking a few favourites and putting them into practice straight away!

¡Qué tengas un buen día!

Cristina