In Spanish, as well as in Italian, there are many different ways to say goodbye and there are also many ways to say goodbye. You may hear different versions of greetings, so even if you don't have to use them all, it's good to learn to recognize them.
Steps
Step 1. Learn the basic greetings
The word you've probably heard often is adiós.
- Follow the link, listen and make sure you pronounce it confidently. Pay attention to the intonation, which allows you to give different shades of meaning.
- The meaning of "adiós" is not completely equivalent to the Italian "addio". It is commonly used, but it is also a bit formal and is more frequently associated with a long period of absence or even a final goodbye. It depends a lot on the relationship that exists between the people who exchange "adios".
Step 2. To say good night, if someone is going to bed, you have to say "buonas noches"
However, it can also be used as a normal farewell greeting, when you meet someone at night (the time reference is after dinner time).
Step 3. Use one of these sentences, which predict the word "hasta", which means "up to"
Note that some of these phrases refer to when you see the person you are greeting.
- Hasta mañana (see you tomorrow).
- Hasta luego (see you later).
- Hasta ready (see you soon).
- Hasta entonces (see you later - at the appointed time).
- Hasta más tarde (see you later).
- Hasta siempre (to never again). As is well known, this phrase has a strong meaning of permanence, it can be used when a couple is separated by death. You should avoid using it because, due to its strong meaning, you may not seem sincere.
Step 4. Use one of the versions corresponding to "see you later"
- Nos vemos (see you).
- Te veo (lit. "I see you"). Notice how this expression implies that you are talking to a familiar person ("you") and not someone you call her ("usted").
Step 5. For a friendly, informal greeting, use chau (sometimes spelled "chao")
It is equivalent to the Italian "ciao" and is pronounced more or less the same way.
Step 6. A widely used expression between two or more people who have to meet in a certain place at a certain time is:
¿Quedamos (place) a las (now)? = ¿Quedamos en Doña Taberna a las once? (See you at the Dogna tavern at 1.00?)
Advice
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Here are other less common ways to say goodbye. They are used less frequently, however they will probably understand you:
- hasta después (see you later)
- hasta más ver (until we meet again)
- hasta otro día (to another day)
- hasta entonces (see you later - at the appointed time)
- hasta la vuelta (until we meet again)
- hasta cada rato ("when it will happen")
- Another expression you may come across, ¡vaya con Dios !, is common but will seem obsolete to most native speakers.
Warnings
- The phrase "hasta la vista", although well known in Italy, is not used much in Spanish. Use it occasionally, or don't use it at all, and keep in mind that it will seem more like a joke, if not a blunder.
- "Buenas noches" is often said in the event of a blackout or exhaustion of a commodity or interruption of a service.
