What does "off you go" mean?
What it means: Go now; you may leave; begin - used to give someone permission or instruction to depart or start."Right, off you go then." (you can leave now)"Off you go - I'll see you later."Teacher to students: "Off you go." (begin your work / you can leave)Tone: Friendly but slightly authoritat...
What it means
Go now; you may leave; begin - used to give someone permission or instruction to depart or start.
"Right, off you go then." (you can leave now)
"Off you go - I'll see you later."
Teacher to students: "Off you go." (begin your work / you can leave)
Tone
Friendly but slightly authoritative. It has a mild parental or managerial quality - the speaker is in a position to grant departure. Between equals, it can sound affectionate or gently dismissive.
Variations
- "Off we go." - "let's begin/leave" (includes the speaker)
- "Here we go." - something is beginning (often with slight resignation)
- "Away you go." - Scottish/Northern Irish equivalent
Register
Informal to semi-formal. Widely used by teachers, parents, doctors, and managers in Britain. It would sound odd or even condescending in American English.
In customer service
Doctors and dentists often say "off you go" at the end of an appointment as a friendly dismissal - it softens the ending of an interaction.
A native would say
- "You can go now." - neutral and more direct
- "See you then." - ending a conversation without being instructive
- "On your way." - slightly more dismissive
- "Go on then." - casual encouragement to proceed
What does "off you go" mean?
Go now; you may leave; begin - used to give someone permission or instruction to depart or start.
"Right, off you go then." (you can leave now)
"Off you go - I'll see you later."
Teacher to students: "Off you go." (begin your work / you can leave)
Is "off you go" formal or informal?
Friendly but slightly authoritative. It has a mild parental or managerial quality - the speaker is in a position to grant departure. Between equals, it can sound affectionate or gently dismissive.
What's another way to say "off you go"?
- "You can go now." - neutral and more direct
- "See you then." - ending a conversation without being instructive
- "On your way." - slightly more dismissive
- "Go on then." - casual encouragement to proceed
More British slang throwing you off?
LLH Tutor breaks down British expressions like this one so you're never guessing what a colleague or friend actually meant.
Save to your vocabulary