adieu
farewell / goodbye (permanent)
Pronunciation
/a.djø/
Cultural Note
Adieu literally means 'to God' and implies a permanent or very long separation. In standard French, it is dramatic and rarely used casually. However, in southern France and Switzerland, 'adieu' is used as a casual greeting equivalent to 'salut' — a striking regional difference.
📝 Example Sentences
Adieu, nous ne nous reverrons sans doute jamais.
Farewell, we will probably never see each other again.
Il a dit adieu à sa vie d'avant.
He said farewell to his former life.
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