Inklingo

How to Say "goodbye" in Spanish

English → Spanish

adiós

interjectionA1general
Use 'adiós' as a general-purpose farewell when leaving someone, suitable for most situations from formal to informal.

Examples

Adiós, ¡hasta mañana!

Goodbye, see you tomorrow!

chau

/chow/ (rhymes with 'now')/ˈtʃau/

interjectionA1informal
Use 'chau' as a casual and friendly way to say goodbye, similar to 'bye' in English, best for informal settings with friends or acquaintances.
A friendly person waving goodbye with a smile.

Examples

Bueno, me voy. ¡Chau!

Well, I'm leaving. Bye!

Chau, mamá, nos vemos más tarde.

Bye, mom, see you later.

Le dije chau y colgué el teléfono.

I said bye to him and hung up the phone.

Using 'Chau' as a Greeting

Unlike the Italian 'ciao,' which can mean both hello and goodbye, the Spanish 'chau' is ONLY used when leaving or saying goodbye.

Don't use it to say 'Hello'

Mistake: “Using 'chau' when you arrive at a party.”

Correction: Use 'hola' for arriving and 'chau' for leaving.

despedida

des-peh-DEE-dah/des.peˈði.ða/

nounA2general
Use 'despedida' when referring to the noun 'farewell' itself, meaning the act or moment of saying goodbye, rather than as a direct farewell utterance.
Two figures standing outside, one waving goodbye to the other who is walking away, symbolizing a farewell.

Examples

Nuestra despedida fue muy emotiva en el aeropuerto.

Our farewell was very emotional at the airport.

Ella se fue sin una despedida, solo dejó una nota.

She left without a goodbye; she only left a note.

Le di una rápida despedida antes de que cerraran la puerta.

I gave him a quick goodbye before they closed the door.

It's always Feminine

Even though it comes from the verb 'despedir', 'despedida' is always a feminine noun, so you use 'la' or 'una' with it.

Confusing Gender

Mistake: “El despedida”

Correction: La despedida. Remember, nouns ending in -a are almost always feminine in Spanish.

adiós

nounB1general
Use 'adiós' as a noun to refer to the specific act of saying goodbye, often implying a more definitive or final parting than 'despedida'.

Examples

Fue un adiós muy triste en la estación de tren.

It was a very sad goodbye at the train station.

Interjection vs. Noun Usage

Learners often confuse using 'adiós' as an interjection (like 'goodbye') versus a noun (like 'the goodbye'). Remember, when you are leaving someone, you say '¡Adiós!', but when you are talking about the event of leaving, you might say 'la despedida' or 'el adiós'.

Related Translations

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