How to Say Goodbye in Different Languages
March 9, 2009 | In: Education, General, Self Improvement
Say Goodbye In Different Languages
Goodbye does not necessarily mean a sad greeting. Although it means two people are parting ways with one leaving the other, there’s always a possibility of the two of them seeing each other again in the near future especially when it comes to friends. In fact, it could be a positive one such as if one is just starting a friendship with another person. In this case, goodbye may mean see you later or see you again or until we meet again.
Learning different languages is fun and enriching. One may start with just the greetings such as the hi’s, hello’s, thank you’s and goodbye’s. For a start, you can keep a list and then perhaps practice each of them every now and then. Make sure, though, you know the proper pronunciation.
Once you have gathered your goodbye’s in various languages, research about them to find out how they are properly spoken. Know where the proper accent is in the syllables as well. In French, for instance, the word for goodbye is not spoken as they are spelled. Usually in au revoir, the last “r” is silent and the voir is pronounced as vwah. In Italian, arrivederci is pronounced as ariveder-chi.
Check out our list here and see if you can memorize them.
- Spanish – Adios; hasta la vista
- French – Adieu; au revoir
- Italian – Ciao; addio; arrivederci
- Japanese – Sayonara (so long or farewell)
- German – Tschuss, auf wiendersehen
- Hebrew – Shalom
- Filipino – Paalam
- Chinese Mandarin – Zai jian
- Chinese Cantonese – Zoi Geen
- Swedish – Hejda
- Indonesian – Sampai Jumpa
- Danish – Farvel
- Hindi – Fir milenge
- Portuguese – Adeus
- Korean – Annyeonghi kyeseyo
- Greek – Yasou
- Latin – Vale (addressed to one person); valete (to more than one)
- Romanian – La revedere
- Norwegian – Ha det bra
- Dutch – Dag; doei
Some of these goodbyes may also mean another thing such as until we meet again or take care of yourself.
Along with saying goodbye, people have become accustomed to waving one of their hands as a sign of parting. Even as a baby, we’re taught by our mothers to wave our hand when saying goodbye to somebody who’s leaving. Since time immemorial, this tradition has been passed on from one generation to another and is seen to continue for many more years to come.
So if you’re learning how to say hello in different languages, do make it a point as well to learn the different versions of goodbye. In this way, you not only make yourself proud but you also make a good impression to other people.
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