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ta ta for now

ta ta for now

9.5
A friendly informal way to say goodbye when you will see or speak to someone soon
  • idiom
  • UK
: hasta luego
  • She waved and called out, 'ta ta for now,' as she left the room.

Examples

  • I'll see you later, ta ta for now!

  • It's been great chatting with you—ta ta for now.

  • I have to get back to work, so ta ta for now!

  • It's time for me to say ta ta for now!

  • I have to get back to work, so ta ta for now!

  • It's been great chatting with you—ta ta for now.

  • She waved and called out, 'ta ta for now,' as she left the room.

Synonyms

see ya
vsta ta for now
  • Texting
∞ 8.4

A friendly way to say goodbye when you expect to meet again

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
goodbye
vsta ta for now
∞ 1.0

Words people say when they leave each other

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
bye
vsta ta for now
  • Informal
306 1.0

A short word or action people use when they leave each other

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
bye-bye
vsta ta for now
  • Informal
279 1.1

A friendly informal way to say goodbye when leaving

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
farewell
vsta ta for now
199 1.9

A speech or action that says goodbye and wishes someone well

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
see you later
vsta ta for now
  • Informal
95 1.0

A casual goodbye said when leaving someone and expecting to meet again

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
so long
vsta ta for now
  • Informal
77 6.3

A casual word for goodbye used when leaving someone

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
ta ta
vsta ta for now
  • UK
8.7

A casual way to say goodbye to someone

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
hasta la vista
vsta ta for now
  • Informal
7.9

A casual way to say goodbye until you meet again

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon
chao
vsta ta for now
  • Philippine
8.6

A casual way to say goodbye to someone

is informal and suggests meeting or speaking again soon

How Final

farewell
199 1.9
goodbye
∞ 1.0
ta ta
  • UK
8.7
see you later
  • Informal
95 1.0
ta ta for now
  • UK
9.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

ta + ta + for + now

The phrase 'ta ta for now' is an idiomatic, colloquial farewell whose meaning ('goodbye for the time being') cannot be compositionally derived from its parts: 'ta' is an informal interjection (often 'thanks' or a casual bye) and the reduplication plus 'for now' creates a conventionalized goodbye. Knowing the literal meanings of 'for' and 'now' (and unclear dictionary entries for 'ta') would not allow a B1 learner to predict this specific pragmatic use, so it is not transparent.

Etymology

Ta ta for now comes from a child's way of saying ta ta, a short, happy 'bye' used in Britain. Adding for now says the goodbye is only for a short time, so the phrase means 'goodbye' with the idea of 'see you soon'.