Wat betekent “tot ziens” in het Nederlands?

Tot ziens literally translates as "until [we] see [each other]." It's the formal Dutch goodbye, the one Dutch service workers, business contacts, and strangers use when parting. A Dutch shopkeeper saying goodbye to a customer says tot ziens; a Dutch banker ending a meeting says tot ziens; a Dutch host bidding farewell to a more-distant guest says tot ziens.

The phrase carries a faint promise of future contact — "until I see you again" — though Dutch speakers don't always literally expect to see the listener again. It works as a polite formula. Like English "have a good day" or "see you later," tot ziens doesn't always mean what it literally says; it just signals respectful closure.

For learners: tot ziens is the safe choice in any uncertain register. When in doubt about whether doei would be too casual, tot ziens won't be wrong. The reverse risk (doei in formal contexts) is more socially costly than slightly-too-formal tot ziens in casual ones.