The British Good-Bye
The English / British good-bye is something I've heard about in Ukraine and Russia and I've often wondered what it meant. I wondered, what makes people think we don't say good-bye? I started to think about this in more detail and I think it's probably the many words and phrases we use to say our farewells that cause people to think this, as we rarely use the actual words “good bye”.
There are also different ways of ending a conversation and different ways of saying thank you that might cause confusion. So… let’s smash the myth of the famous British goodbye.
Saying Good-Bye
(Used just when you are about to leave)
- Catch you later
- See you in a bit
- See ya (pronounced SEE-YA)
- Have a good one
- Have a nice day *
- Don’t work too hard
- See you next time
- Take it easy
- Laters
- Cheers
*Note: Ukrainians often use this at the start of messages, but in English it only works at the end.
Ending a Conversation
(Used before saying good-bye)
- I’m off
- I’ve got to run
- I have to love you and leave you, but…
- I’ve got to go
- I need to…
- I’ve got to be somewhere in…
- It was lovely to talk to you, but I’ve got to…
- Right!
- I’ve got to head off
Ways of Saying Thank You
- Cheers
- Nice one
- Thanks
- No worries *
- You’re so kind!
- You’re a star!
- I appreciate it
*No worries is not a replacement for thank you — it’s a response to thank you.
I hope this has made the “British goodbye” a little clearer!