Why would you need to say thank you in German?
Strengthen your business relationships
If you’re doing business with Germans, saying thank you in German can be a powerful way to strengthen those relationships. A simple “danke für die großartige Arbeit” (thanks for the great work) will make your business partner, colleague or employees feel greatly appreciated and motivate them to keep up the good work.
No thank you
You need to know how to say “thank you” in order to say “no thank you” in German and you’ll see just how important that is. German-speaking countries are so-called “low-context” countries, which means that information is usually given explicitly.
So you’ll have to be pretty straight. If you don’t want to do something, just say “nein, danke”. Your candor will be appreciated.
Incorporate mindfulness
Gratitude is an integral part of mindfulness, which has proven to be beneficial for our mental health and overall state of mind. Incorporating mindfulness can even improve your success in learning a new language!
So don’t just take learning how to say thank you in a foreign language literally. It’s so much more than just a phrase.
How to say thank you in German
“Danke” [ˈdaŋkə] is a refreshingly easy German word. It’s pronounced just like Dunkin, but with an “eh” at the: Dunk-eh. Depending on the situation, there are many more ways to say thank you in German. From “no thank you” (nein, danke) up to “a thousand thanks” (tausend Dank).
| English | German | Pronunciation |
|---|
| Thank you | Dankeschön | [ˈdaŋkəʃøːn] |
| Thanks | Danke | [ˈdaŋkə] |
| Thank you very much | Vielen Dank | [ˈfiːlən daŋk] |
| No, thank you | Nein, danke | [naɪ̯n ˈdaŋkə] |
| Okay, thank you | Okay, danke | [oˈkeː ˈdaŋkə] |
| Great, thank you | Toll, danke | [tɔl ˈdaŋkə] |
| Perfect, thank you | Perfekt, danke | [ˈpɛʁfɛkt ˈdaŋkə] |
| Thank you, my friend (female) | Danke, meine Freundin | [ˈdaŋkə maɪ̯nə ˈfʁɔɪ̯ndɪn] |
| Thank you, my friend (male) | Danke, mein Freund | [ˈdaŋkə maɪ̯n fʁɔɪ̯nt] |
| Please and thank you | Bitte und danke | [ˈbɪtə ʊnt ˈdaŋkə] |
| Thank you for everything | Danke für alles | [ˈdaŋkə fy:ɐ̯ aləs] |
| Thank you, have a nice day | Danke, schönen Tag! | [daŋkə ʃø:nən ta:k] |
| Thank you for your help (informal) | Danke für deine Hilfe | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ daɪ̯nə hɪlfə] |
| Thank you for your help (formal) | Danke für Ihre Hilfe | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ i:ʁə hɪlfə] |
| Thank you for your kinds words | Danke für die lieben Worte | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ di: li:bən vɔɐ̯tə] |
| Thank you for coming (informal) | Danke, dass du gekommen bist | [daŋkə das du: gəkɔmən bɪst] |
| Thank you for coming (formal) | Danke, dass Sie gekommen sind | [daŋkə das zi: gəkɔmən zɪnt] |
| Thank you for making me laugh | Danke für’s zum Lachen bringen | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯s t͡sʊm laxən bʁɪŋən] |
| Thank you for your business | Danke für den Auftrag | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ de:n aʊ̯ftʁa:k] |
| Thank you for the gift | Danke für das Geschenk | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ das gəʃɛŋk] |
| Thank you for listening | Danke für’s Zuhören | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯s t͡su:hø:ʁən] |
| Thanks in advance | Danke im Voraus | [daŋkə ɪm fo:ʁaʊ̯s] |
| Thank you for your service | Danke für Ihre Dienste | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ i:ʁə di:nstə] |
| Thank you for the ride | Danke für’s Mitnehmen | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯s mɪtne:mən] |
| Thank you, my brother | Danke, mein Bruder | [daŋkə maɪ̯n bʁu:dɐ] |
| Thank you, my sister | Danke, meine Schwester | [daŋkə maɪ̯nə ʃvɛstɐ] |
| Thanks for the advise | Danke für den Ratschlag | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ de:n ʁa:tʃla:] |
| Thanks for your time | Danke für deine Zeit | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ daɪ̯nə t͡saɪ̯t] |
| Thanks for your time (formal) | Danke für Ihre Zeit | [daŋkə fy:ɐ̯ i:ʁə t͡saɪ̯t] |
| A thousand thanks | Tausend Dank | [taʊ̯zənt daŋk] |
How to say thank you in German formally vs. informally
The main difference between formally and informally saying thank you in German is that when you address the other person directly, as in “I thank you”, you’ll want to remember that you’ll address someone you know or someone very young as “du”.
So to thank them directly, you’ll say “Danke dir”, while a stranger you wanna be polite with, should be addressed as “Sie”: “Ich danke Ihnen”. Other than that, most thank you’s work for everyone, with only subtle distinctions in how formal or informal they are.
| English | German | German pronunciation | Context |
|---|
| I thank you. | Ich danke Ihnen. | [ɪç daŋkə i:nən] | Formal |
| Thank you very much indeed. | Recht herzlichen Dank. | [ʁɛçt hɛɐ̯t͡slɪçən daŋk] | Formal |
| A big thank you for… | Ein großes Dankeschön für… | [a: bi:ç taŋk ju: fo:ɐ̯] | Formal |
| Many dear thanks. | Vielen lieben Dank. | [fi:lən li:bən daŋk] | Formal |
| I thank you. | Ich danke dir. | [ɪç daŋkə di:ɐ̯] | Informal |
| No big deal. | Kein Ding. | [kaɪ̯n dɪŋ] | Informal |
| All good. | Passt schon. | [past ʃo:n] | Informal |
| No worries. | Schon okay. | [ʃo:n o:kaɪ̯] | Informal |
| You got it. | Schon gut. | [ʃo:n ɡuːt] | Informal |
How to write a thank you card or note in German
Giving someone a thank you card is a written declaration that you’re a nice person. There’s no one who doesn’t like being appreciated - from your colleagues to the mailman. Most people just try to be a good friend or do a good job and if we’re honest, we don’t thank them often enough for it.
So take five minutes out of your day to write a thank you note and make someone feel really good by giving them your appreciation. We’ll make it very easy for you!
Example 1 - Thank you note to a business partner
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*,
Thank you so much for your business. I’m looking forward to a rewarding partnership with you.
Sincerely,
*name* | Liebe/r *Name*,
vielen Dank für Ihren Auftrag. Ich freue mich auf eine lohnende Partnerschaft mit Ihnen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
*Name* |
Example 2 - Thank you note to an employee
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*,
Thank you very much for your outstanding work. Our company is grateful for your contribution.
Sincerely,
*name* | Liebe/r *Name*,
vielen Dank für für Ihre hervorragende Arbeit. Unser Unternehmen ist Ihnen sehr dankbar für Ihren Beitrag.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
*Name* |
Example 3 - Thank you note to a colleague
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*,
Thank you so much for your advice and time, last week. I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help get this project moving forward.
Best,
*name* | Lieber *Name*,
vielen Dank für deinen Rat und deine Zeit letzte Woche. Ich weiß wirklich zu schätzen, was du alles getan hast, um das Projekt voranzubringen.
Liebe Grüße,
*Name* |
Example 4 - Thank you note to a friend
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*,
Thank you so much for everything you do for me. I’m so grateful to have you as a friend.
Love,
*name* | Lieber *Name*,
vielen Dank für alles, was du für mich tust. Ich bin so dankbar, dich als Freund/Freundin zu haben.
Alles Liebe,
*Name* |
Example 5 - Thank you note to a family member
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*,
Thank you so much for everything you do for me. I’m so grateful to have you and call you my family.
Love,
*name* | Lieber *Name*,
vielen Dank für alles, was du für mich tust. Ich bin so dankbar, dass ich dich habe und dich zu meiner Familie zählen darf.
In Liebe,
*Name* |
Example 6 - Thank you note for a gift
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift. I absolutely love it!
Best,
*name* | Lieber *Name*,
vielen Dank für dein aufmerksames Geschenk. Ich liebe es!
Alles Gute,
*Name* |
Example 7 - Thank you note for a service provider, i.e. your local mail person
| English | German |
|---|
Dear *name*
Thank you for the great work you do for us every day. We truly appreciate it.
All the best,
*name* | Lieber *Name*
vielen Dank für die großartige Arbeit, die Sie jeden Tag für uns leisten. Wir wissen das wirklich sehr zu schätzen.
Alles Gute für Sie,
*Name* |
How to say you’re welcome in German
What goes around comes around. So of course we hope that after spreading so much gratitude, you’ll receive lots of thank you’s, too and we’ll teach you how to say you’re welcome in German, so you know exactly what to reply.
| English | German | German pronunciation |
|---|
| You’re welcome. | Bitte. | [ˈbɪtə] |
| You’re very welcome. | Bitte sehr. | [ˈbɪtə ˈzeːɐ̯] |
| You’re pretty welcome. | Bitteschön. | [ˈbɪtəʃøːn] |
| Happy to. | Gern. | [ɡɛʁn] |
| Pleasure. | Gern geschehen. | [ˈɡɛʁn ɡəˈʃeːən] |
| Nothing to thank me for. | Nichts zu danken. | [nɪçt͡s zû ˈdaŋkn̩] |
| No problem. | Kein Problem. | [kaɪ̯n pʁoˈbleːm] |
| No worries. | Kein Thema. | [kaɪ̯n ˈteːma] |
| No bother at all. | Keine Ursache. | [ˈkaɪ̯nə ˈuːɐ̯ˌzaxə] |
| Of course, no problem. | Natürlich, kein Problem. | [naˈtyːɐ̯lɪç kaɪ̯n ˈteːma] |
| Sure. | Sicher. | [ˈzɪçɐ] |
| It was my pleasure. | War mir ein Vergnügen. | [vaːɐ̯ miːɐ̯ aɪ̯n fɛɐ̯ˈɡnyːɡn̩] |
| Anytime. | Jederzeit. | [ˈjeːdɐˌt͡saɪ̯t] |
| Happy to do it again. | Gerne wieder. | [ˈɡɛʁnə ˈviːdɐ] |
| Anytime again. | Immer wieder gern. | [ˈɪmɐ ˈɡɛʁnə ˈviːdɐ] |
| Sure (informal). | Na klar. | [na klaːɐ̯] |
| Don’t mention it. | Nicht der Rede wert. | [nɪçt deːɐ̯ ˈʁeːdə veːɐ̯t] |
| Well sure yes! (informal) | Na aber sicher doch! | [na ˈaːbɐ ˈzɪçɐ dɔx] |
Who can you thank today?
We should all say thank you more often. Not just to make people feel appreciated, but also to practice our newly acquired language skills!
If you find yourself in a German-speaking country, you can just go out there and thank the next person in German, but if you’re somewhere else, you might have to get creative. Here are three ways to practice saying thank you in German.
Your German online instructor
If you’re taking an online German class, you can always do a nice thing at the end of your lesson and thank your instructor for the great work they do.
They’ll not only be proud that you know exactly how to thank them in German - they’ll also feel appreciated and you’re sure to make their day.
Customer Support
People at Customer Support hear complaints all day long. What if you just googled any German company and found a way to contact their customer support - just to tell them they’re doing a great job and thank them?
Pick the chat or call option - depending on which of your German skills you want to practice (writing or speaking) and strike up a short conversation.
The universe
Sure - this might be another unconventional one, but we already established all the benefits of mindfulness and gratitude, so you know that only good things can come out of writing down what you’re thankful for in German or saying it out loud for practice.
At least the universe can’t make fun of your pronunciation. So what do you have to lose?
Only gratitude can make your life rich
“Dankbarkeit macht das Leben erst reich,“ said German theologist and activist Dietrich Bonhoeffer - and he was right. You won’t truly feel rich until you learn how to be grateful and if you do learn how to be grateful, you won’t need to be rich in order to be happy.
Saying “danke'' is an important part of mastering German but “danke” can be more than a word. It can be an attitude of gratitude that we get to live in a world so connected we can learn a different language and communicate with billions of people worldwide - simply by switching on our laptop or our phone and making an effort.
Learn a language. Open your world.
