Bis später! (bis SHPAY-ter) means see you later in German, for when you'll meet again the same day. For an open-ended "see you", say Bis bald! (see you soon); for tomorrow, Bis morgen!; after making a plan, Bis dann! Combine them with a goodbye: Tschüss, bis später! with friends, Auf Wiedersehen, bis morgen! more formally.
- Later today
- Bis später!
- In a moment
- Bis gleich!
- Soon
- Bis bald!
- See you then
- Bis dann!
- Level
- A1
Bis später, bis gleich or bis bald: how soon is later?
German sorts its "see you" phrases by time. Bis means until, so each phrase literally says "until later", "until soon", "until tomorrow". Choose the one that matches when you'll actually meet.
| German | Literally | When you'll meet |
|---|---|---|
| Bis gleich! | Until shortly | In a few minutes |
| Bis später! | Until later | Later the same day |
| Bis heute Abend! | Until this evening | Tonight |
| Bis morgen! | Until tomorrow | Tomorrow |
| Bis Montag! | Until Monday | On a named day; no article needed |
| Bis nächste Woche! | Until next week | Next week |
| Bis dann! / Bis denn! | Until then | At a time you've arranged; bis denn is northern |
| Bis bald! | Until soon | Some time soon, no date |
| Wir sehen uns! | We'll see each other | Casual, open-ended |
Is bis später formal or informal?
The bis phrases are neutral, so you can say Bis morgen to a colleague or a neighbour you call Sie. The register comes from the goodbye you put in front of them: Tschüss, Ciao and, in Austria and Bavaria, Servus are casual; Auf Wiedersehen is formal. On the phone, the formal goodbye is Auf Wiederhören (until we hear each other again).
Tschüss, bis später!
Bye, see you later!
Friends, flatmates, family.
Auf Wiedersehen, Frau Krüger, bis nächste Woche.
Goodbye, Mrs Krüger, see you next week.
Sie: a teacher, a client.
Ich rufe dich später an.
I'll call you later.
du.
Ich melde mich später bei Ihnen.
I'll get back to you later.
Sie: work emails and calls.
Später also works inside a sentence, for things that will happen later. In a Contos B2 story, Herr Kastner turns up with pastries, asks Marianne for one of the auction letters, and makes a promise:
„Ich verspreche, Sie erfahren es später.“What mistakes do English speakers make with see you later?
Translating word for word is the main trap. German doesn't drop the subject the way English "see you" does, so "Sehe dich später" sounds wrong. Use a bis phrase or the full sentence Wir sehen uns später.
- Spät is late, später is later. Ich bin spät on its own is not how you say I'm late; say Ich komme zu spät, or Ich bin spät dran (I'm running late).
- Don't say Bis später if you won't meet today. Germans take it literally and may ask when. Bis bald is the vague one.
- Bis zum is needed with some nouns: bis zum Wochenende (until the weekend), but bis Freitag with days.
Meeting someone new before you part? Start with how to say nice to meet you in German, and greet them again the next day with good morning in German.
Every Contos chapter ends on a cliffhanger, so it's always bis morgen. Start a free A1 German story.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Bis später?
Roughly "bis SHPAY-ter". Sp at the start of a syllable sounds like shp, ä is like the e in "bet" but longer, and the final -er is a light "uh".
Is it Tschüss or Tschüs?
Both spellings are correct. Tschüss, with a short ü, is the more common pronunciation and spelling in most of Germany.
What do Austrians say instead of Tschüss?
Servus is the classic casual hello and goodbye in Austria and Bavaria. In Vienna you will also hear Baba, a very informal bye. Tschüss is understood everywhere, though many Austrians prefer their own words.
What is the difference between bis dann and bis bald?
Bis dann points to a time you've just arranged: Okay, Freitag um acht, bis dann! Bis bald is open-ended: see you soon, whenever that is.