How to Say Thank You in French

The simplest way to say “thank you” in French is the basic “merci,” but there are actually several ways to express your gratitude. Scroll past the jump to learn some of the most helpful.

EditCheat Sheet

Sample Ways to Say Thank You in French

EditSteps

EditBasic Thanks

1. Say "merci." This is the standard, most basic way of saying "thank you" or "thanks" in French.
   
   • Merci can be used in both formal and casual settings. The spelling and pronunciation remain the same in all settings and do not change based on who you thank.
   • The pronunciation of merci is mare-see.^[1]
2. Add “madame” or “monsieur” after it. If you want your merci to sound a little more formal, you could address the other person as "madame" or "monsieur" after expressing your gratitude.^[2]
   
   • Madame, pronounced mah-dahm, is a polite way to refer to a woman.
   • Monsier, pronounced mer-syer, is a polite way to address a man.

EditAdding Emphasis

1. Use "merci beaucoup." This phrase means "thank you very much" or "many thanks."
   
   • Beaucoup means "many," "much," or "a lot."
   • You would pronounce the expression as mare-see bow-koo.
2. Switch to "merci bien."This is another expression used to say "thank you very much."
   
   • Bien is usually used to mean "well" or "good," but it can also mean "very." A stricter, more literal translation of this phrase would be "well thanks" or "very thanks," which does not make much sense in English. In this French expression, however, bien is being used to express emphasis on the strong nature of the thanks.
   • The standard pronunciation of this expression is mare-see bee-ehn.
3. Express extreme gratitude with "mille fois merci." This expression roughly translates into "a thousand times thanks" or "thanks a thousand times."
   
   • Mille is the French term for "thousand." Fois is the French term for "time."
   • You could also drop the fois, leaving the phrase as "mille mercis," or "a thousand thanks."
   • Pronounce the expression as meal fwah mare-see.

EditFull Sentence Format

1. Tell someone familiar "Je te remercie."^[3] This translates to "I thank you."
   
   • Je is a first person singular pronoun meaning "I."
   • Te is a second person pronoun used to indicate that you are speaking to someone you are familiar with. It can be used with friends and family.
   • Remercie is a conjugated form of the verb "remercier," meaning "to thank."
   • The standard pronunciation of the expression is zhuh tu ray-mare-see.
2. Switch to "C'est vraiment gentil de ta part." This expression means, "It is really kind of you."
   
   • A slightly more literal translation would be, "This is really nice on your part."
   • C'est means "this is."
   • Vraiment means "really."
   • Gentil means "nice" or "kind."
   • In this phrase, de means "of."
   • Part means "share" or "part," and ta means "your."
   • You would pronounce this expression as seh vreh-men duh tah pahr-ha.
3. Tell someone you do not know well "Je vous remercie." This is a more formal, less familiar way to say “I thank you.”
   
   • As before, je means “I” and remercie means “thank.”
   • Vous is a more polite way to address someone in the second person “you,” so this phrase is generally used with strangers and elders.
   • Pronounce the phrase as zhuh voo ray-mare-see.
   • For further emphasis, you could also say “Je vous remercie de tout cœur,” meaning, “I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
4. Express formal written thanks with "Je vous adresse mes plus vifs remerciements." This expression is often included in formal letters and means, "I send you my most sincere thanks" or "I send you my warmest thanks."
   
   • Je means "I" and vous means "you."
   • Adresse means "address."
   • Mes is a possessive pronoun meaning "mine" or "my."
   • The phrase plus vifs roughly means "deepest" or "more vivid."
   • Remerciements mean "thanks."
   • Pronounce the expression as zhuh voo ahd-ra-ess me ploo vif re-mare-see-moh.

EditReplying to Thanks

1. Respond with "de rien." This is the most general way to say "you're welcome" and can be used in nearly all settings.
   
   • Literally translated, it means "of nothing." De means "of" and rien means "nothing."
   • Pronounce the expression, dah ree-ehn.
2. Say "il n'y a pas de quoi." This is another way to say "you're welcome" or "don't mention it."
   
   • The literal translation is fairly rough and may not make much sense in English. Il means "it," n'y means "there," a pas means "not," and de quoi means "whereof."
   • The general pronunciation of the expression would be eel nyah pah der kwah.
3. Answer "ce n'est rien." The most literal translation of this phrase would be "it is nothing."^[4]
   
   • Pronounce the phrase as su neigh re-ehn.

EditSources and Citations

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