Je dis au revoir à Paul.

Breakdown of Je dis au revoir à Paul.

je
I
Paul
Paul
à
to
dire
to say
au revoir
goodbye

Questions & Answers about Je dis au revoir à Paul.

Why is it dis and not dit?

Because dis is the je form of the verb dire in the present tense.

Present tense of dire:

  • je dis = I say
  • tu dis = you say
  • il/elle/on dit = he/she/one says
  • nous disons = we say
  • vous dites = you say
  • ils/elles disent = they say

So Je dis au revoir à Paul means I say goodbye to Paul.

Why do we use dire here?

French often uses dire with set expressions like:

  • dire bonjour à quelqu’un = to say hello to someone
  • dire merci à quelqu’un = to say thank you to someone
  • dire au revoir à quelqu’un = to say goodbye to someone

So the structure is very normal in French:

  • Je dis au revoir à Paul = I say goodbye to Paul
Why is there an à before Paul?

Because with dire au revoir, the person you are speaking to is introduced with à.

So:

  • dire au revoir à quelqu’un = to say goodbye to someone

In this sentence:

  • à Paul = to Paul

This is similar to:

  • Je dis bonjour à Marie = I say hello to Marie
What exactly is au revoir?

Au revoir is a fixed expression meaning goodbye.

Literally, it comes from an older idea like until seeing again, but you should learn it as one whole expression: au revoir.

So in this sentence, don’t try to translate it word by word. Just understand:

  • dire au revoir à Paul = to say goodbye to Paul
Why is it au revoir and not just revoir?

Because au revoir is the full expression. It is not just the verb revoir.

The word au is a contraction of à + le, but in au revoir, the whole phrase functions as a fixed expression meaning goodbye.

So learners should usually memorize au revoir as one unit.

Is the word order fixed, or could I say Je dis à Paul au revoir?

The most standard and natural order is:

Je dis au revoir à Paul.

You may sometimes hear or see:

  • Je dis à Paul au revoir

but for most learners, Je dis au revoir à Paul is the safer and more natural pattern to use.

A good model is:

  • Je dis bonjour à Paul
  • Je dis merci à Paul
  • Je dis au revoir à Paul
How do you pronounce Je dis au revoir à Paul?

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

zhuh dee oh ruh-vwar ah Pol

A few helpful points:

  • Je sounds like zhuh
  • dis sounds like dee
  • au revoir sounds roughly like oh ruh-vwar
  • Paul sounds like Pol

Also, in normal speech, dis au connects smoothly, so it may sound a bit like dee-zoh because of liaison.

Is this sentence natural in everyday French?

Yes, it is grammatical and natural, especially if you are describing an action:

  • Je dis au revoir à Paul, puis je pars. = I say goodbye to Paul, then I leave.

But if you are directly speaking to Paul, you would usually just say:

  • Au revoir, Paul.

So:

  • Je dis au revoir à Paul = talking about the action
  • Au revoir, Paul = actually saying goodbye to him
Can I replace Paul with a pronoun?

Yes. Since Paul comes after à, you can replace it with an indirect object pronoun.

So:

  • Je dis au revoir à Paul
    becomes
  • Je lui dis au revoir

Here:

  • lui = to him / to her

Examples:

  • Je lui dis bonjour. = I say hello to him/her.
  • Je lui dis merci. = I say thank you to him/her.
  • Je lui dis au revoir. = I say goodbye to him/her.
Is au revoir formal?

Au revoir is neutral and very common. It works in both polite and everyday situations.

Depending on the situation, French also uses other goodbyes:

  • Salut = hi / bye, informal
  • À bientôt = see you soon
  • À demain = see you tomorrow
  • Adieu = farewell, much stronger and less common in ordinary conversation

So au revoir is a very safe and useful choice.

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