Goodbye in English
Saying goodbye is one of the elementary things that we must know when we are learning a new language. Using the correct goodbye phrases according to the occasion will make the difference between making a good impression and looking bad in front of your interlocutor. Maybe you already know how to do it in formal settings, but this time we will talk about formal goodbye in English .
Here are some options for formal farewells in English that will serve as a guide to include them in your vocabulary. Pay attention, practice them and start using them at the first opportunity!
Most common formal goodbyes in English
If we want to say goodbye to clients or people whom we must treat with greater respect , then it will be necessary to know what the formal goodbyes are. It is also common to formally say goodbye when sending business letters or emails to institutions or organizations .
Formal goodbye in English: Face-to-face conversations
The easiest way to formally say goodbye and that is also used in any circumstance, is “Good Bye” . It’s a friendly but respectful alternative to saying “goodbye.” Of course, it is not the only one, there are other ways such as: “It was a pleasure to see you.”
Example:
- It has been a pleasure to see you .
To which he admits as an answer:
- My pleasure
Also, this phrase is widely used when ending an email. More than goodbye, it is a closing expression that usually comes before “Yours truly” (Sincerely). You can use it with friends, family, clients, etc.
Example:
It has been a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Jackson. (It was a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Jackson.)
Yours truly, (Sincerely,)
Annie Steve
Other formal expressions to say goodbye are:
You must remember that after this kind of goodbye, it is convenient that you include the name of who you say goodbye . This implies due treatment according to sex and marital status.
- Mr: When we refer to adult men
- Miss: For single women.
- Mrs: When she is a married woman.
- Ms: In case it is a woman and we do not know the marital status.
Examples:
Kind regards (Your sincerely)
This is perhaps the most common of the formal goodbyes in English . It is used in emails that are addressed to both known and unknown recipients. For example, business letters for institutions or associations, when writing to an editorial of a newspaper or magazine, if we want to request information in a company, etc.
The writing always ends signed with the name and surname of the sender. It can be used with clients, at work, for institutions or organizations, etc.
Example:
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Your sincerely,
Ben jackson
Sincerely (Yours truly)
It is a very common written formal dismissal , used at the end of business letters that are addressed to a known institution or recipient. It resembles the phrase “Yours sincerely”, but the difference is that after “Yours truly” it can be signed on behalf of an institution or a company . Whereas with “Yours sincerely”, it will always be signed with its own name.
Examples
Thank you for the information.
Yours truly, (Sincerely,)
Total & Company
I hope to see you soon (I look forward to seeing you soon)
This formal farewell is widely used in emails or business letters , such as letters of thanks, introduction, etc. It is also a closing phrase that goes just before the short or final farewell, which can be “Yours sincerely” or “Yours truly”. It can be used at work, with clients, for institutions, organizations, etc.
The phrase in English corresponds to:
- I look forward to seeing you soon.
Example:
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Yours truly, (Sincerely,)
Annie Steve
A friendly greeting (Kind regards)
When we write a close, friendly and polite letter, then we use the parting phrase: Kind regards. It is to use it with close people that we maintain an educated relationship of friendship .
Some of its uses can be: a letter to a friend you haven’t seen for a while, a co-worker, a relative, the teacher at your child’s school that you already know personally, your own teacher, etc.
Example:
I’ll contact you as soon as my husband gets back from Miami.
Kind regards, (A friendly greeting)
Ana
Respectfully yours
Farewell used in very formal letters or writings and is not usually the most common. It is possible to use this phrase when we finalize a letter that is addressed to a renowned institution, an embassy, a person with high social position, secretary of government, etc.
Example:
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully yours,
Andrea Jone
The most common uses are: formal job request, important clients, extremely formal institutions. However, it is one of the least used. If you are looking for a more common way to say goodbye but that remains formal, then use “Yours sincerely” or “Sincerely”
Knowing the formal goodbye in English will always be useful , especially if you need to function in serious environments that demand respectful treatment. Practice goodbyes and soon you will easily know which one to use in different situations.
