How to say Goodbye in German the Uncommon Way

Many people only know the basics when it comes to saying goodbye in German—often just ‘Tschüss’ or ‘Auf Wiedersehen.’

But there are plenty of other ways to bid farewell.

Let me show you some more!

How to say goodbye in German to friends and colleagues

Tschüss (also Tschüs)

This is the simplest and most common way of saying goodbye.

It shows that you are in a good mood and is often used among friends and colleagues. You can also combine it with a thank you in German, for example Tschüss und Danke für die tolle Zeit.

But you don’t just want to know how to say goodbye in German the simple way, do you?

Tschau

Instead of the simple, Tschüss, put some Italian flair to it and say Tschau! It is the German version of the Italian word Ciao.

It is not only friendly, but also a very warm way of parting which shows great companionship and togetherness.

Tschüssi

This is another version of Tschüss that you could use if you don’t want to sound average. You will often hear it when friends are parting after a party or when someone is leaving a friend’s house.

Servus

This is a common phrase in Austria or in southern Germany for example in Bayern (Bavaria), which is a federal state of Germany.

It can be translated to at your service, but we like to use it casually as a way of saying goodbye, especially after having a good time.

It is also used as a greeting or a way of saying good morning.

See how Servus and other phrases can be used to say hello in German.

More ways to say bye in German 

Bis dann!

See you later!

This form of farewell is used when it’s not certain when you will be meeting again.

It is mostly used with friends that you meet with regularly, not someone that you’ve not seen for a long time and you don’t expect to see them again in a long time.

Bis denn!

This is derived from bis dann and it also means see you later.

It is just a cool way twist to show some style. But be careful, dann is not the same as denn. Here I will explain the difference between dann and denn.

Bis später!

There is no shortage of ways to say see you later, is there?

Bis später literally means until later (till we meet again), but when you think about it in English it feels serious and rather sad.

So, forget the English translation and just think about it as a simple see you later.

Bis bald!

This is also a very common phrase.

It is so common that it’s among the few phrases in Germany that you will hear even more than the phrase ‘excuse me’ in German.

It also means see you later.

How to say goodbye in German in a way that leaves an impression

Mach’s gut

Literally it means make it good. Don’t let the apostrophe confuse you. It shows that a word is shortened here. It actually means Mach es gut!

Sometimes we also see the alternative spelling without an apostrophe Machs gut!

We often use it when we want to express sympathy, especially when problems are imminent and we want to encourage the other.

The other then often replies Du auch!

Bis nachher

We use this idiom when the next meeting is already planned and takes place on the same day, for example when we see each other again in a few hours.

Man sieht sich

We don’t use this idiom when we have already planned a new meeting, but when it is still uncertain when we will see each other next.

Bis zum nächsten Mal

We usually use this idiom when we meet regularly for planned events, for example a weekly meeting for a dance course or club training, etc.

How to say goodbye in German the formal way

Now that you’ve known how to say goodbye in German to friends and colleagues, let’s look at some of the ways you could say the same in a formal setting:

Auf Wiedersehen!

You guessed it, didn’t you? ?

This is the most common and most understood formal way of saying goodbye in German.

It is also polite and respectful, and you should it to your seniors and people your respect.

Einen schönen Tag noch!

(The long version is: Ich wünsche dir/euch/Ihnen noch einen schönen Tag.)

Leaving a group of colleagues at work?

Then use this phrase to say goodbye to them. It means: Have a nice day!

It is not only formal, it is also respectful, polite and quite uncommon, which means a number of them will be impressed.

Schönen Tag (noch)!

The previous version is also possible a little shorter, but then it is not so formal anymore.

For more information, visit the Wiktionary entry in German.

How to remember these salutations and never forget

Now that you know what to say, how will you always remember?

After some time, will you even remember which one is formal and which one isn’t?

Then let me invite you to my lessons in German.

I have a unique method that makes sure you never forget what you learn and you will see why my students learn 6x faster than by using other methods.

Find out more and learn the German language easily and with fun.

You might also want to learn 40 unique ways to say good morning in German or 25 ways to say YES in German so you don’t have to use ‘JA’ all the time!

And here are 9 alternative ways to say STOP in German.