Sometimes a simple merci just isn’t enough to show your gratitude. Learn many other ways to say “thank you” in French and how to show your appreciation.
Updated on January 16th, 2025.
Sometimes, a simple merci or “thank you” doesn’t feel like enough. Yet, you tried your best and could only get a muchas gracias out of your mouth.
To avoid those embarrassing moments in the future, read on to learn some different ways to say “thank you” in French.
You probably already know that merci, one of the basic French words, means “thank you”. However, like another basic greeting, “hello”, there are many different ways to express yourself depending on the context.
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The basic way to say “thank you” in French
When learning French, one of the first greetings that any student learns is merci, along with its correct pronunciation, which is a bit easier than most French words. It is the most common way to say “thank you” and can be used in almost all social situations.
However, just like in English, native speakers use a wide variety of expressions to communicate their appreciation depending on the situation. The expressions vary from formal, like “thank you very much”, to informal, like “cheers” or “thanks”. With practice, the different variations of merci will begin to feel natural and easy.
22 different ways to say “thank you” in French
Many beginners are taught to use merci until they understand the nuances of the French language, but in many cases, a simple merci can come off as cold or dry. Imagine someone saves your life by pulling you back from a speeding car running a red light – a merci won’t cut it.
A simple merci would be a bit of an understatement. Luckily, expanding on the basic merci can change many things, from the level of formality to the level of gratitude.
The table below shows different ways you can expand on merci and when each expression should be used. You will also find how and when to use these phrases and their translations below the table.
| Expression | Translation | Use case |
| Merci | Thank you | Formal/informal |
| Merci beaucoup | Many thanks | Formal/informal |
| Merci à toi | Thank you | Emphasis on “you” (singular) and often used in dialogue; informal |
| Merci à vous | Thank you | Formal/informal, addressing thanks to more than one person AND/OR more polite than “à toi” |
| Merci à tous | Thank you all | Formal/informal |
| Un grand merci à… | A big thank you to… | Formal/informal |
| Mille mercis | Thank you so much (literally “ a thousand thanks”) | Formal/informal |
| Merci mille fois | Thanks a million | Formal/informal |
| Merci bien | Thank you (very) much | Formal/informal, but could be perceived as sarcastic |
| Cimer | Thank you | Slang in verlan, used only by younger generations |
| Je vous remercie | (I) thank you | Formal; often used in writing |
| Je te remercie | (I) thank you | Less formal; often used in writing |
| Merci infiniment | Thanks a million | Formal/informal |
| Merci d’avance | Thank you in advance | Formal/informal; often used in writing |
| Merci Monsieur/Madame | Thank you Sir/Madame | Formal; when spoken, Mademoiselle is also used |
| Merci du fond du coeur | Thank you from the bottom of my heart | Formal/informal |
| Je ne sais pas comment te / vous remercier | I don’t know how to thank you | Usually formal |
| … grâce à… | … thanks to… | Formal/informal |
| Merci pour tout | Thank you for everything | Formal/informal |
| Merci pour… | Thank you for… | Formal/informal |
| (Tous) mes remerciements | My thanks | Formal |
| Volontiers ! | With pleasure | Formal |
1. Merci
The one and only, the original. One thank to rule them all: merci. It can be used in most contexts, although it might not be enough in some cases.
Example: Merci pour les fleurs.
Translation: Thank you for the flowers.
2. Merci beaucoup
A common and polite way to express gratitude in various situations. Beaucoup means “a lot”. Make sure you don’t pronounce the “p” in beaucoup. It’s boh-koo!
Example: Merci beaucoup pour votre aide.
Translation: Thank you very much for your help.
3. Merci à toi
Helps express gratitude to one person in an informal setting. Emphasis on toi, you’re specifically thanking the person in front of you.
Example: Merci à toi d’avoir fait le déplacement.
Translation: Thank you for making the trip.
4. Merci à vous
Expressing gratitude to multiple people in both formal and informal settings, or to one person in a formal setting (in that case, it’d be the more formal version of “merci à toi”).
Example: Merci à vous deux pour votre soutien.
Translation: Thank you both for your support.
5. Merci à tous
Expressing gratitude to a group of people. Can be used in combination with merci à vous: merci à vous tous.
Example: Merci à tous d’être venu pour l’enterrement de mon hamster.
Translation: Thank you all for coming to my hamster’s funeral.
6. Un grand merci à…
Conveying heartfelt appreciation to somebody, or a group of people. Can be used in a formal or informal setting but mostly in a group setting.
Example: Un grand merci à mes parents pour leur amour et leur soutien… et leur argent.
Translation: A big thank you to my parents for their love and support… and their money.
7. Mille mercis
Literally “thousand thanks”. Way of expressing profound gratitude. In English, it’d be “thanks a million” – but gratitude is also about quality, not just quantity.
Example: Mille mercis pour ce merveilleux cadeau !
Translation: Thanks a million for this wonderful gift!
8. Merci mille fois
Literally “thank you a thousand times”. Strong gratitude with a high degree of appreciation. It’s still about quality here!
Example: Merci mille fois d’avoir sauvé ma journée !
Translation: Thanks a million for saving my day!
9. Merci bien
Polite expression of gratitude but could also be perceived as sarcastic, depending on the context and the way it’s said, much like someone saying “well, thank you very much for that”.
Example: Merci bien pour ton écoute attentive.
Translation: Thank you very much for your careful listening.
10. Cimer
Verlan word for merci, casual way of saying thank you around friends. It’s getting out of trend, and it’s become a bit uncool over the years, so we advise you to use cimer with absolute confidence.
Example: Cimer d’avoir rapporté les boissons.
Translation: Cheers for bringing the drinks.
11. Je vous remercie
Formal way to express gratitude in a more formal, professional or polite setting, or both informally and formally to a group of people.
Example: Je vous remercie pour votre retour rapide.
Translation: Thank you for your prompt response.
12. Je te remercie
Less formal than “Je vous remercie”, but it’s a very nice way to express strong gratitude to somebody you know well.
Example: Je te remercie pour ton écoute, j’en avais besoin.
Translation: Thank you for listening, I needed it.
13. Merci infiniment
Literally “thank you infinitely”, but perhaps “I can’t thank you enough” is closer. Expresses profound and limitless gratitude… but don’t overdo it, it’ll sound strange.
Example: Merci infiniment d’avoir sauvé la vie de mon chat !
Translation: Thank you so much for saving my cat’s life!
14. Merci d’avance
Thanking somebody in advance for the anticipated assistance they might give you. Often used in a more formal context, at the end of emails notably.
Also a fortune teller’s favorite.
Example: Merci d’avance pour votre réponse rapide.
Translation: Thank you in advance for your prompt reply.
15. Merci Monsieur/Madame/Mademoiselle
Formal and respectful way of expressing gratitude. Works with the plural form as well: merci messieurs/mesdames/mesdemoiselles.
Example: Merci, Monsieur, pour votre aide précieuse.
Translation: Thank you, Sir, for your valuable help.
16. Merci du fond du coeur
Expressing heartfelt thanks, conveying deep and sincere gratitude to somebody.
Example: Merci du fond du cœur pour votre présence aujourd’hui.
Translation: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your presence today.
17. Je ne sais pas comment te / vous remercier
Literally “I don’t know how to thank you”. Again, don’t overdo it!
Example: Je ne sais pas comment vous remercier d’avoir retrouvé mon cochon d’Inde.
Translation: I don’t know how to thank you for finding my guinea pig.
18. … grâce à…
This one is a tricky one: it means “thanks to”. Merci à can also be used in some contexts, but grâce à is generally preferred for its flexibility.
Example: C’est grâce à Frantastique que j’ai appris le français.
Translation: It’s thanks to Frantastique that I learned French.
19. Merci pour tout
When you have a lot of things to be thankful for.
Example: J’ai passé un très bon séjour. Merci pour tout.
Translation: I had a very nice stay. Thank you for everything.
20. Merci pour…
Used with a subject following pour, addressing thanks in somebody’s stead.
Example: Tu peux lui ramener ses clés ? Merci pour elle !
Translation: Could you bring her her keys? Thanks for her!
21. (Tous) mes remerciements
Very formal, usually used in writing and speeches for very special thanks, expressing sincere gratitude and appreciation.
Example: Veuillez me permettre de vous présenter mes remerciements pour ces 20 dernières années.
Translation: Please allow me to express my thanks to you for the past 20 years.
22. Volontiers !
Very formal, only used in response to somebody’s offer.
Example: “Je vous ressers du thé ?” – Volontiers !
Translation: “Shall I serve you more tea?” – With pleasure!
How to say “no thanks” in French
As you can imagine, given all the different ways of saying “thank you”, there are also different ways to say “no thank you”. The most basic way is to simply say “no thanks” or non merci, but also just as common is ça ira pour moi or “I’m alright” or “that’s ok”.
If you find yourself in a very formal situation, sans façon is a good phrase to use. You can also say merci, mais non merci, or “thanks, but no thanks”, but be careful because it can come off as cold or sarcastic like in English.
You can add something to make it sound less dry – such as c’est très gentil mais non merci (“that’s very kind, but no thank you”) or c’est très attentionné de votre part, mais ça ira, merci (“that’s very nice of you, but I’ll be alright, thank you”).
As a rule of thumb, the longer it gets, the more polite it is.
Be sure to check out our article on how to say “I’m sorry” if you accidentally say something sarcastic.
Receiving thanks: how to say “you’re welcome” in French
At this point, you are probably wondering how to say “you’re welcome” in French. The most common, albeit very informal way of saying “you’re welcome” is de rien. When replying in a more formal situation, je vous en prie is the most common response. There are a wide range of ways to reply when receiving thanks. The most popular expressions are listed in the table below.
| Expression | Translation | Explanation |
| De rien | You’re welcome (literally “it’s nothing”) | Informal |
| Je vous en prie | You’re welcome | Formal |
| Je t’en prie | You’re welcome | Informal |
| Ça me fait plaisir | My pleasure | Informal / formal |
| Avec plaisir | My pleasure | Informal / formal |
| (Tout) le plaisir est / était pour moi | (All) the pleasure is / was mine | Formal |
| C’est normal | It’s natural | Informal |
| Ca va de soi ! | It’s natural | Informal; after lending assistance / helping out |
| Ne vous en faites pas | Don’t worry about it | Formal |
| (Ne) t’en fais pas | Don’t worry about it | Informal |
| (Ne) t’inquiète (pas) | Don’t worry about it | Informal |
| Il n’y a pas de quoi | It’s no big deal (literally “there’s nothing worth being thanked for”) | Formal/informal; used only when it was truly no trouble at all |
| Pas de quoi | No biggie | Informal, shortened form of “il n’y a pas de quoi” |
| Pas de problème | No problem | Informal |
| À ton / votre service | At your service | Informal / formal |
| C’est moi | (No,) I should be the one to (thank you) | Formal |
| Bienvenue | You’re welcome | Informal / formal (Canadian French only) |
| Merci à toi / vous | Thank you | Informal / formal; emphasis on returning thanks |
| Volontiers ! | Gladly! | Formal |
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What about “Dieu merci !“?
It’s rarely used nowadays, but “Dieu merci !” is the exact translation for “thank God!” in English and can be used in the same situations. You may also hear or read “Dieu soit loué” (“praise God” / “praise the Lord”) in older movies and novels, or the milder “le ciel soit loué” (“thank Heavens”).
Showing thanks with more than merci
There are other ways to express your gratitude or acknowledge thanks without using merci at all. Give your vocabulary a workout by incorporating these common phrases used by native speakers.
- C’est vraiment gentil de ta part, meaning “It’s really nice of you”
- Je suis reconnaissant de…, meaning “I am very thankful for…”
- C’est très attentionné, meaning “It’s very thoughtful”
- Je suis honoré(e), meaning “I am very honored”
- Ça me touche, meaning “I am touched”
These phrases can also be combined with the different ways of saying “thank you” in French for a heartfelt.
Merci beaucoup for reading this far! We’re so very reconnaissants.
Get ready to learn how to say “goodbye” in our next article!
By the way, there’s no need to thank us. Tout le plaisir est pour nous !
…Alright, if you insist: you can try our online French course Frantastique. And it’s free for 7 days!
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