Dire adieu vs. dire au revoir
French language has nuanced ways to express farewells, with 'dire adieu' and 'dire au revoir' being two distinct expressions. The differences reflect the nature and permanence of the goodbye.
Dire adieu
'Dire adieu' means to say goodbye, often implying a permanent or long-term separation.
Il est temps de dire adieu à nos amis qui déménagent à l'étranger.
(It's time to say goodbye to our friends who are moving abroad.)
Après l'enterrement, nous avons dû dire adieu à notre grand-mère une dernière fois.
(After the funeral, we had to say farewell to our grandmother one last time.)
Dire adieu à sa carrière fut une décision difficile pour le sportif retraité.
(Saying goodbye to his career was a difficult decision for the retired athlete.)
Dire au revoir
'Dire au revoir' means to say goodbye, usually in a temporary sense, with the expectation of seeing each other again.
Je vais dire au revoir à mes collègues avant de partir en vacances.
(I will say goodbye to my colleagues before going on holiday.)
Les enfants disent au revoir à leurs parents avant d'entrer à l'école chaque matin.
(The children say goodbye to their parents before entering school each morning.)
Nous disons toujours au revoir en nous faisant la promesse de nous revoir bientôt.
(We always say goodbye while making a promise to see each other soon.)
Summary
'Dire adieu' is typically used when parting ways with someone or something for a considerable amount of time or forever, whereas 'dire au revoir' implies that the separation is temporary and there is an intention or likelihood of meeting again.