Formal and informal ways of saying “Goodbye” in Spanish Posted by Magda on May 9, 2013 in Learning
As you will probably remember, we started talking about Greetings in Spanish last week. Today is the day to check how to say goodbye in different situations.
Speaking
Adiós (good bye)
Chao (bye)
Hasta luego (see you later, but not in a literal sense)
Hasta mañana (see you tomorrow)
Hasta pronto (see you soon)
Hasta la próxima (until next time)
Hasta el viernes (see you on Friday)
Hasta ahora (see you in a minute)
Hasta la vista (until we see each other again)
Nos vemos (see you)
Writing
1. Formal letters
Le/Les saludo atentamente,
Atentamente/Muy atentamente,
Reciba un cordial saludo de (once a relationship has been established) (Yours faithfully/sincerely,)
En espera de su respuesta, le/les saludo atentamente (I look forward to hearing from you. Yours faithfully,)
2. Less formal letters
Un cordial saludo, (Yours truly,)
You have to keep in mind that not all greetings are verbal, so you can say “hello” or “goodbye” simply by waving your hand with the palm facing out, with a a wink of the eye or a simple smile and eye contact. It is also frequent to shake a friend’s hand or give him/her a hug depending on how close your relationship is. And remember that we Spanish (and also French people) kiss each other on both cheeks, so don´t panic when you come to Spain hehe!
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About the Author: Magda
Hi all! I’m Magda, a Spanish native speaker writing the culture posts in the Transparent Language Spanish blog. I have a Bachelor’s in English Philology and a Master’s in Linguistics and Literature from the University of Granada, in Spain. I have also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, and then worked as an English teacher in several schools and academies for several years. Last year was my first at university level. In addition, I work as a private tutor, teaching English and Spanish as a foreign language to students and adults. In my free time, I’m an avid reader and writer, editing and collaborating in several literary blogs. I have published my first poetry book recently. And last but not least, I love photography!
Comments:
Scott:
I have noticed a lot of native English speakers say “buenas noches” when the want to say “good night”, which in English is usually a “farewell”, or something to say before going to bed. It is not a greeting in English. (Although “good evening” is a possible greeting in English). But in Spanish, “buenas noches” is ALWAYS a greeting and never said before going to sleep.
Magda:
@Scott Well, not always… Actually, I say it before going to sleep if someone else is remaining awake.
Charlie:
You say tomāto, I say tomâto. ¿Y qué?
Robert Spragg:
Hi Magda. I’m now based in Figueres and I was wondering if there is a particular way, in colloquial speech, they say goodbye.
For example, when I lived in Valencia, the locals used to say, “Luego”, very loosely, to bid farewell.