Hasta Luego

A friend of mine is currently volunteering in Bolivia and will return this summer. In one of her blogs she mentioned a difference on saying "Farewell". I had noticed this difference between Spanish speaking people and English speaking people, but it's become more apparent recently.

My first language is Spanish, and very few people say the English equivalent for "Goodbye", "adiós". From what I've observed and learned from outside sources, adios is used more for final goodbyes. I guess you could say it's reserved for funerals, hence the phrases "La última despedida" and "El último adiós." You won't see the person ever again, at least not physically alive.

The preferred phrase is "Hasta luego", it literally means "see you later". There are variations with the same meaning, for example my family uses "Ahi nos vemos", it means "We'll see you [there]." Ahi nos vemos is mostly used when talking to the actual person, whereas hasta luego is used when ending a phone call.

Once I learned English and began "English only" in 4th grade I would still say "See you later" instead of "Bye!" to friends. It probably struck people as odd, after all my English sounds "perfect". (Or so I've been told. Once others find out Spanish is actually my first language they're really shocked because of the unaccented English, but I digress.) When I started middle school, and gained new friends, I don't think anyone was really all that surprised about my preference of "See you later!" My friends started saying that instead of "bye", except when talking on the phone.

Phone conversations are the most interesting for me, whether in English or in Spanish I always end with the appropriate "hasta luego!" I never say "bye", and it throws people off. It's quite amusing because some have gotten angry because I don't say good-bye, but it's too strange. For me, saying "good-bye" is like saying I'll never see the person again because they're dead.

The reason I'll never say good-bye: I'm going to see you again, I don't know where or when or how, but we'll cross paths again. Perhaps it will be in a few hours, perhaps tomorrow, next week, or next month; or maybe it will take years. Maybe even in the afterlife! But we'll see each other again. Por eso te digo, hasta luego, see you later!