ECSTRA/Closing

Apart from this entry cf. also Leave-Taking (ECSTRA).

(1) What do you say in your nation to show that you want to end a conversation

1. simply "(ok then,) good-bye" after the interlocutor has finished a sentence

2. a phrase like "I want to go now"

3. a phrase like "I must go now. I still some things to do."

4. a phrase like "It is already late."

5. a phrase like "I don't want to bother you any longer."

6. a phrase like "We have already talked too long."

7. saying what you still have to do (if there is something to do)

8. inventing a reason

other means

(2) Does the other person let you go or does s/he try to convince you to stay?

(Please remember our guidelines.)

AT: Austria

Vienna, Lower Austria (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 2 5 frequent; 3 4 7 8 very frequent; "It was nice talking to you, but now..."; (2) both possible

BE: Belgium

Brussels (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 informally; 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; (2) lets you go (it's not polite to insist)

CH: Switzerland

Lausanne (French-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 3 4 5 6, maybe 8; (2) depends on person and relation

CZ: Czech Republic

Bohemia (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) "Sorry, but I have to go now", (2) lets you go

DE: Germany

Bremen (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 2 3 4 7 8; (2) let's you go

south (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 3 4 5 7 8, "So, we'll see each other"; (2) lets you go

Saxony (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 2 3 4 7, 5 6 rarely; (2) lets you go

DK: Denmark

...

EE: Estonia

...

ES: Spain

Andalucía (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 3, (2) lets you go

Castilia y León (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; sometimes 8; 1 rarely; "If you want to join ... I go to ..."; (2) It's rather the case you keep on talking unintentionally

FI: Finland

West Finland (Swedish-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 3 4 5 frequent, 6 unusual (mostly between women), 7 very frequent, 1 8 practically never; (2) when you're invited to someone's home yes, in an accidental meeting no

Finnish-speaking area (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 3 7 often, 2 sometimes, 4 5 6 8 rarely; (2) usually let's you go; if on a visit, it's polite for the host to say it's not so late yet

FR: France

Paris (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 (sometimes), 2 (frequent), 3 (of varying frequency), 4 (frequent), 5 (frequent), 6 (of varying frequency), 7 (frequent), 8 (frequent); (2) depends on situation (one informand writes: "They don't let you go immediately but they don't try to persuade you to stay either. They just keep on talking as if they hadn't heard what you said and so you have to say it again."; another informand reports that the inerlocutor would accompany to the place where you want to go)

HR: Croatia

...

HU: Hungary

(1) 1, 7, maybe 5, "I must go now", "See you" (+ agreeing to meet at another time) (ECSTRA-Q)

IE: Ireland

Dublin (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 5, 8, sometimes 7, "I'll let you go", (2) normally tries to persuade you to stay

IT: Italy

Lombardy (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1, 3, 4, 8; 2, 5, 7 less frequent; (2) they let you go

Sicily (ECSTRA-Q)

(2) first tries to convince you to stay (ECSTRA-Q)

LT: Lithuania

(1) 1 2 3 4 6 7 8; (2) depends on the interlocutors, normally person let's you go (ECSTRA-Q)

LU: Luxemburg

(1) 3, 4, 7, "Make it good", Bis geschwenn; (2) lets you go (ECSTRA-Q)

LV: Latvia

...

MT: Malta

(1) especially 1, also 3; (2) lets you go (ECSTRA-Q)

NL: Netherlands

...

NO: Norway

...

PL: Poland

(1) 3 5 6 7, maybe 4, "we can continue the conversation tomorrow, I'll now have to do something else"; (2) both possible (ECSTRA-Q)

PT: Portugal

Alentejo (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 3 4 7 frequently, 2 6 never, 5 sometimes, 8 rarely, (2) sometimes the other person persuades you to stay but in general s/he lets you go

SE: Sweden

(1) 3 5; (2) lets you go (ECSTRA-Q)

SI: Slovenia

...

SK: Slovakia

...

UK: United Kingdom

Cambridgeshire (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 3 4 5 6 7 frequent; 2 rare; (2) often there's no immediate departure, but a conversation about when the interlocutors will meet again

Glasgow, Scotland (ECSTRA-Q)

(1) 1 3 4 7 8; (2) The person first tries to persuade you to stay by asking a question or keeping the conversation going

Non-European Nations

Australia

(1) 1-8 (ECSTRA-Q)

Colombia

(1) 1 2 5 6 8 frequent, 3 4 7 very frequent; (2) depends on the situation; usually at a party or an informal and pleasant meeting the other tries to persuade you to stay (ECSTRA-Q)

Greece

(1) 1 2 3 5 rarely, 4 6 7 8 yes; (2) both possible (ECSTRA-Q)

Lebanon

(1) 1 2 6 rarely, 4 5 7 8 frequently, making a promise to meet sometime later to talk more; (2) usually the other person tries to persuade you to stay or lets you go with a promise to call or meet soon (ECSTRA-Q)