Saying goodbye can be tough, but when someone tells you to “come back soon,” it gives the impression that they enjoyed spending time with you or that you made a positive impact with your presence.
It could also mean they enjoy your company (in an informal setting) or the value of the service you offer (in a corporate setting).
Whatever the case is, the best way to respond to someone who tells you to “come back soon” will depend on the context and the nature of your relationship with the person.
You will have to consider the tone of the person’s remark, the setting of the conversation, and your own feelings about their coming back. But you won’t have to browse through all these factors just for a simple reply, right?
The next time someone tells you to “come back soon” and words fail you, you can use any of these 15 different smart responses:
1. “Like a boomerang”
As you probably know, boomerangs are designed to recoil back to the thrower when thrown. So, you can take a cue from this curved flat piece of wood and then use it figuratively to drive home your point.
When someone says, “Come back soon,” and you say, “Like a boomerang,” it means you are guaranteeing your return. It is best used when you’re sure of your swift return.
The idiomatic expression of using a boomerang can have many interpretations, but for this context, it is pretty clear that you’d be back soon, just like the hunting weapon.
2. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you can miss me!”
You can use this response during a casual conversation with a friend or acquaintance. When someone tells you to “come back soon,” this response is tailored to tease them or make them feel special.
It is best used when the other party is your friend, lover, or family member. It fits a scenario in which one’s presence in that setting is sacred.
Again, you use this kind of response only when you genuinely will be back in a short while and will miss the person while you’re away.
3. “Don’t get too lonely without me.”
Aside from the fact that this response was inspired by The Feeling’s Never Be Lonely song, it is inarguably one of the sweetest things to say when someone tells you “come back soon”
You don’t respond like this to every Dick and Harry. It is reserved for when the remark is coming from a loved one – your partner, your bosom friend, your kids, or even your pet (if you can understand their onomatopoeia)
4. “I’ll be back before long.”
This is another common response people use whenever they are told to “come back soon.” It is so creative and common that you can see the lines used by characters in some of your favorite movies.
When you say something will happen soon, it means it will happen soon. So, this response is an alternative way of reiterating your promise to return soon, just as you’ve been told.
5. “I’ll be back, but it’s never long enough with you.”
“Long enough” means it takes someone a long time to do something or make something happen. For example, when you’ve been away for a long time and finally arrived home.
You then tell someone you are home and they say “Yes, but it took you long enough!” Get the picture now?
Now, when someone tells you to come back soon and you say, “I’ll be back, but it’s never long enough with you,” it means you will be back and the person will not see a reason to say you came back late.
This response basically means you are promising the person to be back in a very short time.
6. “I’ll be back, but only if you’ll admit you’ll miss me”
You can use this reply if you want to tease the person who tells you to “come back soon.” It is a careful, clever, and carefully worded response that entices someone who, like you, will return in a short while.
As mentioned earlier, the common reason why someone would tell you to “come back soon” is because they enjoy your company.
So, you can flex on that fact and tell them you will be back on the condition that they admit they will miss you.
Be careful, though, as this response may make you come off as cocky or conceited.
7. “I’ll be counting down the minutes…”
This is a figurative experience. The actual meaning of “counting down in minutes” is that you are eagerly or anxiously waiting for something to happen.
So when someone tells you to “come back soon,” and you say, “I’ll be counting down the minutes…” It means you can’t wait to be back soon to meet with them again. It expresses your eagerness to be back from wherever you’re going.
8. “Soon can’t come soon enough.”
Another way you can express your promise to return early when someone says “come back soon” is to respond with “Soon can’t come soon enough.”
It makes me remember when Apple, for one of their launch, posted that “Friday can’t come soon enough”
Giving this reply when someone says “come back soon,” sends the impression that you are impatient for your return.
9. “It’s a hard pass for me.”
If someone tells you to “come back soon” and you don’t enjoy the company, meeting, setting, or hangout, then you can express your disinterest in returning by saying, “I appreciate the offer, but it’s a hard pass from me.”
It means that you are sticking out a firm rejection with no possibility of a later change of mind about coming back soon.
10. “How soon?”
Remember in the movie Terminator (1984) when the cyborg assassin assigned to kill Sarah Connor told Kyle Reese to “come back soon”? Kyle responded with “how soon,” and the conversation was pretty smooth.
When you reply with “how soon,” it automatically requires the person to provide a specific time frame or deadline that they’d like you to return by.
Even though you are not willing to commit to a specific return time, it helps to be on the same page with the person before making any promises.
11. “I’ll be back, but my heart is already with you.”
This is a sweet way to let the person know that you will physically come back, but even if you return late, you are connected with them emotionally, and that is all that matters.
This is a phrased response that reflects your investment in the relationship with the person who has asked you to return soon.
Depending on how you say it, this response also doubles as a playful or flirtatious way to express your feelings towards the person.
12. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”
The next time someone tells you to “come back soon,” you can let them know (in a playful and lighthearted way) that you want to continue spending time with them and want to be part of their life. The above response helps express such a position effortlessly.
You can also use this response to tell the person that you will not comply with their request in a sarcastic way. So, it’s a two-way thing, depending on the setting and your tone. say
13. “I’ll be back before you know it”
This is quite a generic response, and almost everyone uses it when they are asked, “When will you be back?” or told to come back soon.
Still, you can use it to communicate your willingness to return in the shortest time possible.
14. “Before the dust settles.”
This is a poetic response. It is an intelligent way to describe how soon you will be back whenever someone tells you “Come back soon”
It is also a way of telling the person that you will be back so quickly that there will be no time for anything to change or for the situation to be different from when they left.
It’s best used when you’re in the middle of a milestone moment at a meeting or gathering but need to leave to attend to something else.
15. “Thanks, but I don’t think we’re on the same wavelength.”
If you do not enjoy spending time with someone, and you ask to leave for somewhere else, the person could tell you “come back soon”
Now, you’d want to let the person know you are not coming back soon because you aren’t interested in any further communication with the person.
Instead of just saying I will be gone for a long time, simply say, “Thanks, but I don’t think we’re on the same wavelength.”
By saying this, the person will understand that you do not intend to come back anytime soon.
Closing Remark: Using the right words…the right way
Giving a well-thought-out response when someone tells you “come back soon” helps to reflect your intelligence and also demonstrates that you are quick on your feet.
When you use any of the above cleverly worded responses, it is also a way to entertain the person who remarked. Where it doesn’t keep the conversation flowing, a good response ends the conversation interestingly.
You must have observed that some of the responses are smart, while others are poetic, humorous, witty, and teasing – all geared towards achieving a lively exchange, without miscommunicating your actual thoughts.
I have carefully handpicked these responses also because they can make you stand out since people remember those who make them laugh
…or think.