Truth be told, Portuguese is such a warm and inviting language, you might not see much of a need to move beyond “hello.” But you may be equally charmed by the multitudinous ways you can say goodbye in Portuguese. These, too, are warm and endearing, and they’re a good reminder that more often than not, we’re just parting ways until we meet again.
Here are some of the most common ways to say goodbye in Portuguese. Just remember: the best one to use will change depending on your relationship to the person and the context of your conversation.
How To Say Goodbye In Portuguese
A Formal Farewell
Arguably, the most formal, “proper” way to say goodbye is adeus, which is pretty much exactly like the French adieu — except it has a similar connotation to “I bid you adieu” or “farewell” in English. It literally means “to god,” and there’s an implication that you may not see the other person again for some time. Truthfully, adeus is not something you’ll hear used very often in either Portugal or Brazil.
Another formal alternative is a despedida, which also translates to “farewell,” but perhaps with a less serious overtone.
Casual Goodbyes
By and large, the most common sign-off you’ll encounter in Portuguese is tchau. And yes, that’s like the Italian ciao, which is now pretty universal across Europe and, in the case of Portuguese, in Brazil. However, unlike ciao, tchau is only used to say goodbye — never as a greeting.
You can also make it even cuter by saying it twice: tchau, tchau! It’s just like saying “bye bye.”
Speaking of diminutives, you can sweeten up your adeus by adding -inho to the end: adeusinho. This takes some of the weight out of the word and turns it into a cute little farewell.
If you’re leaving a party and you want to say something to the effect of “I’m out” or “I’m going,” you can say vou nessa, which is short for vou nessa onda, or “I’m going on this wave.”
There are also various forms of “see you” you can use, depending on how long you think it’ll be until you meet again:
- see you next time — até a próxima
- see you tomorrow — até amanhã
- see you later — até logo
It’s also not uncommon to verbally plant a kiss or hug on someone as you part — even if you don’t physically do it. It’s an implied warmth, and you can even use um abraço with people you’re not necessarily that close to.
- Later. Kiss. — Até. Beijo.
- a hug — um abraço
Some Specific Goodbyes
Now that you’ve got a basic sense of how to say goodbye in Portuguese, here are a couple examples of how to work these into more complex sentences.
- It’s been really interesting chatting to you, will you excuse me for a moment? — Foi muito interessante conversar com o senhor – O senhor poderia me dar licença por um momento?
- Good luck with everything, goodbye! — Boa sorte com tudo, até logo!
- Bye, thank you. — Tchau, obrigado.
- I’ll be right back, see you later. — Volto já, até logo.
- good evening, goodnight — boa noite