Lesson 2
2. 안녕히 계세요. Bye. (formal) / 안녕히 가세요. Bye. (formal)
In Korean, there are two types of greetings that mean “Bye.” depending on who is leaving and who is staying.
If you leave and the other person stays, you say 안녕히 계세요. Because 계시다 is an honorific way of saying 있다 which means “to be there”, “to stay”. So, its literal meaning can be “Stay in peace.” If you stay and the other person leaves, you say 안녕히 가세요. Because 가다 is to go and it literally mean “Go in peace.”
Listen to our Core Grammar lesson about these expressions with more detailed explanation. (click here)
Sample Conversation
A: 안녕히 계세요. = Bye.
B: 안녕히 가세요. = Bye.