What’s the first step of learning a new language? Well, it depends on your goals, but more than likely, you’ll learn to say hello first. There are at least 17 different ways to do so in Dutch, by the way, so you’ll have some material to chew on for awhile. But once you attempt your first conversation and discover you have no idea how to exit gracefully, you’ll soon reach for a lesson on how to say goodbye in Dutch.
Depending on the situation, you won’t always end a conversation the same way. There are varying degrees of Dutch formality and familiarity. Here are some of the most common ways to say goodbye in Dutch. To hear how they’re pronounced, click the play button on the words highlighted in gray.
How To Say Goodbye In Dutch
Formal Goodbyes
While you could communicate in a slightly stilted and overly formal way by saying vaarwel (farewell), the standard formal version of goodbye in Dutch is tot ziens. Translated literally, this means “until see.”
There’s also a specific formal signoff you can use when you’re ending a phone call: tot horens (“until hearings”).
Keeping It Casual
In the Netherlands, it’s fairly common to say “bye” with a casual Doei!.
If you’re familiar with Dutch greetings, then this one should already be in your vocabulary: dag. You can also use dag (literally “day”) to say “hi” and “bye.”
For a little whimsical flair, why not offer a “toodaloo,” or, in Dutch, toedeledokie?
There are also a ton of variations on goodbye in Dutch that involve the word tot, which means “until.” It’s often used with the same connotation as “see you.” You can say:
- tot later — until later/see you later
- tot straks — see you shortly
- tot snel — see you soon
- tot binnenkort — see you soon
- tot morgen — see you tomorrow
- tot vanavond — see you this evening
- tot dan — see you then
- tot [time] — until [time]
Some Specific Goodbyes
Now that you’ve got a basic sense of how to say goodbye in Dutch, here are a couple examples of how to work these into a more complex sentence.
- Until next time! Goodbye! — Tot de volgende keer! Tot ziens!
- Thanks and goodbye! — Bedankt en tot ziens!
- Have fun. Bye. — Veel plezier. Dag.
- goodnight — welterusten