86 new ways to say thank you and you’re welcome in French
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Learning how to say thank you and you’re welcome in French should be one of your top priorities, whether you’re just visiting Paris for a week or are just starting your language-learning journey.
Unless you consider yourself to be a rude person (which we know you don’t!), thank you, and you’re welcome should be one of the first few words you learn in any new language. If you’ve just started learning French, we applaud you for taking the time to properly thank people and respond to them when they thank you.
If you’re just looking to survive in a French-speaking region, then learning how to say these two things will take absolutely no time. However, what’s the fun in learning a new language without exploring all the different variations of a specific word?
Just as in English, the French use countless variations to say thank you and you’re welcome. After all, language would be dull and transactional if you only used the exact same words over and over, right?
In this guide, we’ll show you dozens (More than 80!) of different ways to say thank you, and you’re welcome in French. We’ll include the IPA spelling as well as a pronunciation guide so you can start thanking people right away.
Read on to learn more!
Why you should learn how to say thank you in French
Before we keep going, you should know why learning to say thank you, and you’re welcome in French is such a good idea. At Berlitz, we strongly believe that learners should always be excited to learn a new language. This can be reflected in our online French classes, where our teachers always strive to find real-world applications to all our curricula.
Here are three of our top four reasons why you should know how to say thank you and you’re welcome (and at least a few variations!).
1. Make life interesting
We promise we’re not trying to be deep and philosophical here. But think about it—how boring would life be if we only had one word for each thing we wanted to say?
Variety is what keeps us on our toes. It helps us engage with people in genuine and meaningful ways instead of just operating like actors in a scripted play. Knowing how to say and understand several variations of words will allow you to break through and add some spice to your everyday life.
2. Help us express ourselves
Variety also helps us express ourselves with more sincerity. If you’re a laid-back person, you probably use variations like ‘no problem’ more often than ‘you’re welcome.’
Have you ever seen a small child try to be polite? You notice how forced it comes across? Of course, the child is trying their best as the parents are probably trying to drill politeness into the kid. Eventually, though, the child grows out of this awkward phase and starts using words expertly. You should also grow out of this awkward phase whenever you learn a new language.
Learning different ways of saying the same thing will definitely help you feel more comfortable as you speak a new language. It’ll help your personality come through, which will, in turn, help you claim ownership of the language as your own.
3. Adjust to context
How you say thank you and you’re welcome varies widely depending on who you’re speaking to. If you’re talking to a close friend, then you probably want to use some slang and more informal phrases. But if you’re talking to your boss—that’s a different story.
Learning a few ways to say thank you and you’re welcome will help you be more context-specific when you speak French with your friends, colleagues, and even strangers.
4. Be a more thoughtful person
Sometimes, a simple thank you goes a long way. Other times, it just doesn’t cut it. If a close friend did you a really big favor, the least you can do is thank them appropriately with your words.
By the same token, you also want to share that you were happy to help after doing your friend a favor. You don’t want to just say, “you’re welcome,” you want to say something like, “glad I could help!”
Even if minor, different words have nuances that make them unique. How you choose to express your feelings of gratefulness will affect how others perceive you, and knowing more variations will only allow you to be more thoughtful.
How to say thank you in French
You’ve probably already heard that merci is how you say thank you in French. However, there are dozens of ways to say the same thing beyond a simple merci. You can express different levels of gratefulness using different phrases, which will help you match your words to the action more accordingly.
So, whether you’re hoping to become a pro or simply want to learn some simple phrases like how to say “thank you, have a nice day” in French, we’ve got your back.
Here are over three dozen ways to express your thanks.
| English | French | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Merci | mɛʁsi | Mair-see |
| Thanks | Merci | mɛʁsi | Mair-see |
| Thank you (emphasis on you) | Merci à toi | mɛʁsi a twa | Mair-see ah too-ah |
| Thank you (emphasis on plural you) | Merci à vous | mɛʁsi a vu | Mair-see ah voo |
| Thank you very much | Merci beaucoup | mɛʁsi boku | Mair-see bo-coo |
| Thank you so much | Un immense merci | ɛ̃n‿ immɑ̃s mɛʁsi | Ahn e-mans mair-see |
| No thank you | Non, merci | nɔ̃ | mɛʁsi | Noh mair-see |
| Okay thank you | D’accord, merci | dakɔʁ | mɛʁsi | Dah-corr mair-see |
| Thank you my friend | Merci, mon ami | mɛʁsi | mɔ̃n‿ ami | Mair-see moh ah-me |
| Thank you, have a nice day | Merci, bonne journée | mɛʁsi | bɔn ʒuʁne | Mair-see bon zhoor-nay |
| Thank you for everything | Merci pour tout | mɛʁsi puʁ tu | Mair-see poor too |
| Thank you all | Merci à tous | mɛʁsi a tu | Mair-see ah too |
| Thank you, have a nice day | Merci, bonne journée | mɛʁsi | bɔn ʒuʁne | Mair-see bon zhoor-nay |
| Thank you for your help | Merci pour votre aide | mɛʁsi puʁ vɔtʁ‿ ɛd | Mair-see poor votr ed |
| Thank you for coming to see me | Merci de venir me chercher | mɛʁsi də vəniʁ mə ʃɛʁʃe | Mair-see de veh-neer may sher-shay |
| Many thanks | Beaucoup de mercis | boku də mɛʁsi | Bo-coop duh mair-see |
| A thousand thanks | Mille mercis | mil mɛʁsi | Meal mair-see |
| Thank you a thousand times | Merci mille fois | mɛʁsi mil fwa | Mair-see meal foo-ah |
| A big thank you | Un grand merci | ɛ̃ ɡʁɑ̃ mɛʁsi | Uh grand mair-see |
| Thank you for the gift | Merci pour votre cadeau | mɛʁsi puʁ vɔtʁə kado | Mair-see poor votr ca-doh |
| Thank you for listening | Merci pour m’écouter | mɛʁsi puʁ mekute | Mair-see poor may-coo-tay |
| Thanks in advance | Merci d’avance | mɛʁsi davɑ̃s | Mair-see dah-vahns |
| Thank you for your service | Merci pour votre service | mɛʁsi puʁ vɔtʁə sɛʁvis | Mair-see poor votr ser-vis |
| Thank you for the meal | Merci pour le repas | mɛʁsi puʁ lə ʁəpa | Mair-see poor luh ruh-pah |
| Thank you my brother | Merci mon frère | mɛʁsi mɔ̃ fʁɛʁ | Mair-see moh frer |
| Thanks a lot | Merci bien | mɛʁsi bjɛ̃ | Mair-see be-ah |
| Infinitely thank you | Merci infiniment | mɛʁsi ɛ̃finimɑ̃ | Mair-see ah-fi-ni-mah |
| Thank you from the bottom of my heart | Merci du fond du cœur | mɛʁsi dy fɔ̃ dy kœʁ | Mair-see doo fond doo corr |
| A big thanks to… | Un grand merci à… | ɛ̃ ɡʁɑ̃ mɛʁsi a | Uh grand mair-see a |
| Thank you, that means a lot to me | Merci, ça compte beaucoup pour moi | mɛʁsi | sa kɔ̃t boku puʁ mwa | Mair-see sa compt bo-coo poor moo-ah |
| That’s very kind | C'est gentil | sɛ ʒɑ̃ti | Say zhan-teal |
| It is very touching | Ça me touche beaucoup | sa mə tuʃ boku | Sa muh toosh bo-coo |
| Thank god | Dieu, merci | djø | mɛʁsi | Diuh mair-see |
| Thank you, beautiful | Merci, ma belle | mɛʁsi | ma bɛl | Mair-see ma belle |
| Thank you, Mrs | Merci, Madame | mɛʁsi | madam | Mair-see ma-dame |
| Thank you, Sir | Merci, Monsieur | mɛʁsi | məsjø | Mair-see moh-see-uhr |
| Thanks to | Grâce à | ɡʁas‿ a | Grass ah |
How to say thank you in French formally
If you’re in a business environment or anywhere you’d have to be formal and polite, you’ll want to be very careful with your words. A simple ‘thanks’ may not be the most appropriate way to thank a big client or your father-in-law, so knowing a few formal ways to say thank you will prevent you from making a faux-pas.
In general, the verb remercier is a lot more common when you’re trying to thank someone formally. You can think of it as the verb form of merci, as the words are very closely related. In fact, you can even spot merci in the verb remercier!
You can then conjugate remercier like any other regular verb to say things like “I thank you” (je te remercie). Of course, you can also use the formal vous to make things even more formal, but remercier works just fine with tu as well.
Let’s take a look at the table below to learn some formal ways to say thank you formally.
| English | French | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thank you | Je vous remercie | ʒə vu ʁəmɛʁsi | Zhe voo ruh-mur-see |
| Thank you (slightly less formal) | Je te remercie | ʒə tə ʁəmɛʁsi | Zhe tuh ruh-mur-see |
| Thanks for coming | Je vous remercie d’être venu | ʒə vu ʁəmɛʁsi dɛtʁə vəny | Zhe voo ruh-mur-see deh-truh veh-noo |
| With all my thanks | Avec tous mes remerciements | avɛk tu me ʁəmɛʁsimɑ̃ | Ah-vec too meh ruh-mur-see-mah |
| That’s very kind of you | C'est vraiment gentil de votre part | sɛ vʁɛmɑ̃ ʒɑ̃ti də vɔtʁə paʁ | Seh vreh-mah zhan-teal duh voh-truh par |
| I send you my most sincere thanks | Je vous adresse mes plus vifs remerciements | ʒə vuz‿ adʁɛs me ply vif ʁəmɛʁsimɑ̃ | Zhe voos ah-dress meh ploos veefs ruh-mur-see-mah |
| Thank you for your business | Nous vous remercions pour votre entreprise | nu vu ʁəmɛʁsjɔ̃ puʁ vɔtʁ‿ ɑ̃tʁəpʁiz | Noo voo ruh-mur-see-oh poor voh-truh ah-ter-priss |
| (We) Thank you for your attention | Nous vous remercions de votre attention | nu vu ʁəmɛʁsjɔ̃ də vɔtʁ‿ atɑ̃sjɔ̃ | Noo voo ruh-mur-see-oh duh voh-truh ah-ten-see-oh |
| I wanted to thank you for your attention | Je voulais vous remercier de votre attention | ʒə vulɛ vu ʁəmɛʁsje də vɔtʁ‿ atɑ̃sjɔ̃ | Zhe voo-lay voo ruh-mur-see-eh duh voh-truh ah-ten-see-oh |
| Thank him on my behalf | Remerciez-le de ma part | ʁəmɛʁsjelə də ma paʁ | Ruh-mur-see-eh-luh duh ma par |
| Thank her on my behalf | Remerciez-la de ma part | ʁəmɛʁsjela də ma paʁ | Ruh-mur-see-eh-la duh ma par |
| I would like to send my thanks to him/her | Je voudrais lui adresser mes remerciements | ʒə vudʁɛ lɥi adʁɛse me ʁəmɛʁsimɑ̃ | Zhe voo-dray lui ah-dray-seh meh ruh-mur-see-mah |
| I am thankful | Je suis reconnaissant | ʒə sɥi ʁəkɔnɛsɑ̃ | Zhe sui ruh-co-neh-sah |
| I am thankful to you | Je vous suis reconnaissant | ʒə vu sɥi ʁəkɔnɛsɑ̃ | Zhe voo sui ruh-co-neh-sah |
| I don’t have the words to say thanks to you | Je n’ai pas les mots pour vous dire merci | ʒə ne pa le mo puʁ vu diʁ mɛʁsi | Zhe neh pa le mo poor voo dir mair-see |
| That’s very thoughtful | C’est très attentionné | sɛ tʁɛz‿ atɑ̃sjɔne | Say treh ah-tah-see-oh-nay |
| Thanks to your kind heart | À votre bon cœur | a vɔtʁə bɔ̃ kœʁ | Ah voh-truh boh corr |
| I want to express my gratitude to you | Je tiens à vous exprimer ma gratitude | ʒə tjɛ̃ a vuz‿ ɛkspʁime ma ɡʁatityd | Zhe tee-ah ah voo ex-pree-mer ma gra-tee-tood |
| I don’t know how I could thank you | Je ne sais pas comment vous remercier | ʒə nə sɛ pa kɔmɑ̃ vu ʁəmɛʁsje | Zhe nuh say pa co-mah voo ruh-mer-see-eh |
How to say thank you in French slang
You cannot learn French without spending some time learning about French slang. From argot to verlan, there are many different informal ways to express gratitude.
Keep in mind that these are more suited for teenagers, young adults, and those with very relaxed personalities, so be careful not to say something that would seem out of character for you!
| English | French | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thanks | Cimer | sime | See-meh |
| Thanks | Merki | mɛʁki | Mer-key |
| Thx (for texting) | Mci | msi | - |
| I owe you one | Je te dois une fière chandelle | ʒə tə dwa yn fjɛʁ ʃɑ̃dɛl | Zhe tuh duah oon fee-er shan-del |
| You’re the best | T’es le best | tɛ lə bɛst | Teh luh best |
| Thank you for the ride | Merci pour la balade | mɛʁsi puʁ la balad | Mair-see poor la bah-lad |
How to say thank you in Canadian French
If you’re wondering how French Canadians say thank you, you’re already thinking two steps ahead. Canadian French can be quite different from metropolitan French, and people in Québec tend to use words drastically different from those used in other francophone regions.
However, thank you is not one of those words. French Canadians say thank you just as French people do. So, if you’re wondering how to say thank you in Canadian French, rest assured that it is no different from standard French.
If you insist on making your French more Canadian, you can add a common Canadian French word after you say thank you. Something like merci, mon chum (thank you, my friend) would help you really nail down the Canadian French dialect.
How to write a thank you note in French
The French are generally not the most expressive people. If you’ve studied the ways to express love in French, you know that they tend to be a lot more indirect with showing love, affection, and appreciation. The same is true for saying thank you, which is why sending thank you notes is not that common in France.
With that said, you can still send a thank you note to someone if you’re truly appreciative. It won’t raise any eyebrows, and the receiver will likely appreciate the gesture. Just don’t take it personal if you don’t receive any thank you notes from French people!
Here are some ways to write thank you notes for different occasions.
Example 1 - This is a letter you would write to a business colleague, client, or vendor who recently helped you in some capacity with a work project.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Dear *name*, Thank you so much for your advice last week. I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help get this project moving forward. Sincerely, *name* | Cher *name*, Je vous adresse mes plus vifs remerciements pour vos conseils la semaine dernière. Je vous suis reconnaissant pour tout ce que vous avez fait pour aider à faire avancer ce projet. Je vous prie d’agréer, cher *name*, l’expression de mes salutations distinguées. *Your name* |
Example 2 - This is something company management would write to attendees of a company event—in this case, a company anniversary party.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Dear *name*, Thank you for being with us to celebrate the fourth anniversary of our business. We are very grateful for all the help. Please accept our warm regards. *Your name* | Cher *name*, Merci d'être à nos côtés pour fêter le quatrième anniversaire de l'entreprise. Nous vous sommes reconnaissants de votre aide pour l’entreprise. Nous vous prions d’agréer, cher *name*, l’expression de nos salutations dévouées. *Your name* |
Example 3 - This is a letter you would write to a good friend of yours, just as a token of your appreciation for helping you with something.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Helo *name*, How are you? I hope you’re doing well. I wanted to take the time to thank you one more time for all the help you’ve given me. Best regards, *Your name* | Salut *name*, Comment ça va ? J'espère que tu passes du bon temps. Je voulais prendre le temps de te remercier une fois de plus pour toute l’aide que tu m’as fourni. Meilleures salutations, *Your name* |
Example 4 - This is a thank you note you would write to one of your favorite college professors—someone whose class you really enjoyed and want to thank tremendously.
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Mrs/Mr *name*, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for a great school year. I believe that your help has been truly helpful in my academic life. Please accept my warmest regards. *Your name* | Madame/Monsieur *name*, Je tenais à vous remercier de tout mon cœur pour une grande année scolaire. Je crois que votre aide m’a été vraiment utile dans ma vie académique. Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame/Monsieur *name*, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués. *Your name* |
How to say you’re welcome in French
Now that you know how to say ‘thank you’ in a million different ways, you need to make sure that your vocabulary is just as diverse when it comes to saying you’re welcome. Just as there are different levels of intensity to saying thank you, there are varying degrees to which you can say you’re welcome.
We’ll break down the different ways of saying you’re welcome into formal and informal phrases. As a bonus, we’ll include a fun and unique way to say you’re welcome in Canadian French! Keep reading.
You’re welcome in French formally
The formal way to say you’re welcome in French usually involves the verb prier. Although the word literally translates to “pray,” it more closely resembles the meaning of “beg.” It may sound dramatic to American ears, but in French it’s commonly used as a short way of telling someone “I beg you not to think too much of it” or “I beg you to stop thanking me.”
Keep in mind that both je vous en prie and je t’en prie can also mean “please,” especially in a situation where someone is providing a service.
Here are some formal ways to say you're welcome.
| English | French | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| You’re welcome | Je vous en prie | ʒə vuz‿ ɑ̃ pʁi | Zhe voos ah pree |
| You’re welcome (slightly less formal) | Je t'en prie | ʒə tɑ̃ pʁi | Zhe tah pree |
| Don’t worry about it | Ne vous en faites pas | nə vuz‿ ɑ̃ fɛt pa | Nuh voos ah fet pah |
| My pleasure | Avec plaisir | avɛk plɛziʁ | Ah-vec pleh-seer |
| My pleasure | Ça me fait plaisir | sa mə fɛ plɛziʁ | Sa muh feh pleh-seer |
| I should be the one thanking you | C’est moi | sɛ mwa | Say mua |
| It’s me who is thanking you | C’est moi qui vous remercie | sɛ mwa ki vu ʁəmɛʁsi | Say mua key voo ruh-mer-see |
| Thanks to you | Merci à vous | mɛʁsi a vu | Mer-see ah voo |
| At your service (Switzerland) | À votre service | a vɔtʁə sɛʁvis | Ah voh-truh ser-vees |
| You’re welcome (Belgium) | S’il vous plaît | sil vu plɛ | Seel-voo pleh |
You’re welcome in French informally
Informally, French can be just as creative as English when it comes to saying you’re welcome. The general gist of these phrases is to let the other person know that it's not a big deal or it’s nothing to thank you for. Just as in English, there are many ways to say no problem and you’re welcome.
Here are some of our favorite informal ways to say you’re welcome.
| English | French | IPA Spelling | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| You’re welcome | De rien | də ʁjɛ̃ | Duh ree-ah |
| No problem | Pas de problème | pa də pʁɔblɛm | Pah duh proh-blem |
| It’s nothing at all | C'est rien du tout | sɛ ʁjɛ̃ dy tu | Say ree-ah doo too |
| It’s nothing | C’est n’est rien | sɛ nɛ ʁjɛ̃ | Say neh ree-ah |
| Don’t worry about it | T’inquiètes pas | tɛ̃kjɛt pa | Tahn-key-et pah |
| Nothing to thank me for | Il n’y a pas de quoi | il nj‿ a pa də kwa | Eel knee ah pah duh koo-ah |
| Of course | C’est normal | sɛ nɔʁmal | Say nor-mal |
| Don’t worry about it | T’en fais pas | tɑ̃ fɛ pa | Tah feh pah |
| Nothing to thank for my friend | Il n'y a pas de quoi mon ami | il nj‿ a pa də kwa mɔ̃n‿ ami | Eel knee ah pah moh ah-me |
You’re welcome in Canadian French
If you’re visiting Québec for the first time, you need to prepare by learning a few French Canadian words and phrases to get you by. Otherwise, you’ll be struggling to understand what they’re trying to say as they tend to use words and phrases very differently from the rest of the Francosphere.
Saying you’re welcome is a perfect example of this. Instead of saying de rien or je vous en prie, the most common way to say you’re welcome in Canadian French is bienvenue. Yes, as in bienvenue à bord (welcome aboard) and bienvenue à Paris (welcome to Paris).
French Canadians tend to borrow words from English or use French words as if they were speaking English. This is one of those cases. Bienvenue is used to say you’re welcome in the same way “welcome” can be used in English.
The problem is, most non-Canadian French speakers would be wildly confused if they said merci and got hit back with a bienvenue. It just doesn’t work outside of Canada. But, now that you’re familiar with it, you won’t be surprised next time you visit Montréal or have a conversation with your French Canadian friends.
FAQs about saying thank you and you’re welcome in French
How do you reply to merci beaucoup?
The most common ways to respond to merci beaucoup are de rien and je vous en prie. Both mean you’re welcome, but the former is more informal while the latter is more polite and respectful.
Is merci bien grammatically correct?
Merci bien is a grammatically correct way to say thank you. It is slightly more formal than merci beaucoup, so it’s generally only used in situations where you want to be polite but not necessarily warm and fuzzy.
Can I just say merci?
Yes! Merci is by far the most common way of saying thanks in French, and you don’t need to follow it with anything else. A simple merci really goes a long way. If you want to sound more warm or happy, you can extend the -i at the end: merciiiiiii.
Merci for staying through the end!
If you’ve read the entirety of this blog, you’re now well-equipped to express sincere gratitude in French. With over 80 ways to say thanks and you’re welcome, you can now be exceptionally polite in your French conversations!
That’s the end of this blog, but make sure to check out our wonderful (and free!) French resources in our French blog.
As always, feel free to get in touch with us if you have any questions about learning French.
Merci a tous !
