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By Rachel Larsen Last updated:

Thank You in French: 10 Ways to Give Thanks Like a Local

Gratitude is universal.

But there are ways to express it beyond a simple “thanks.”

In this post, I’ll introduce you to some new ways to thank those special people in your life.

I’ll also explain what makes each word or phrase unique and how to use it correctly in context.

Expand your French horizons by learning ways to say thanks in French from the common merci to some more situational phrases to express gratitude!

Contents

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Merci — Thank you

Merci is quite a flexible word—it can be used in both informal and formal contexts.

If you want to be a bit more formal in your thanks, you can append merci with Madame or Monsieur. While Mademoiselle can also be used, it’s best to avoid this term, as it’s been falling out of favor recently due to the potentially rude connotation.

Merci beaucoup — Thank you very much

Merci beaucoup is quite similar to merci: it’s versatile and can be appropriate for most contexts. It simply communicates a somewhat greater level of gratitude.

So you can choose whether to employ merci or merci beaucoup based on how strongly you feel about what someone’s done for you. You might say merci to someone who takes you out for coffee and merci beaucoup to someone who takes you out to a nice meal.

Merci mille fois — A thousand thanks

Merci mille fois is, in essence, an even stronger version of merci. It literally means “thank you (merci) a thousand (mille) times (fois),” and expresses deep gratitude.

Building on the earlier example, if you say merci to someone who treats you to a cup of coffee and you say merci beaucoup to one who buys you a nice meal, then you might say merci mille fois to someone who makes you a three-course dinner from scratch.

Merci à tous — Thanks to you all (plural)

This phrase is used to thank a group of people.

It’s a more general statement, making it good to use, for instance, when a group of friends pitch in on a birthday gift for you. You don’t know exactly who thought of the gift, who wrapped it, who spent what, etc. Thus, merci à tous is a good way to include everyone involved in your thank you.

Merci bien — Thanks a lot (sarcastic)

Pay attention to this one! Although it has merci in it, merci bien can be used sarcastically:

Tu as laissé tous les plats sales pour moi. Merci bien! (You left all the dirty dishes for me. Thanks a lot!)

It’s good to know this so that you don’t say it to someone you’re trying to genuinely thank, and so you’re aware in case someone ever ends up saying it to you.

Je te remercie / Je vous remercie — I thank you (personal)

This one is more personal. Instead of simply saying merci, in which “I” and “you” are implied, we actually identify the two parties involved (the one giving thanks as well as the one being thanked).

Remember to say te when you’re in a casual situation, such as with a friend or relative, and vous when the occasion is formal, such as with a boss.

To take it a step further and explain why you’re thanking someone, add pour (for) and a noun, or de and a verb.

For example, you might say:

Je te remercie pour ton cadeau généreux. (I thank you for your generous gift.)

Je vous remercie de m’avoir donné l’information. (I thank you for giving me the information.)

You can use the same constructions with merci. 

Cimer  — Thanks (slang, verlan)

Verlan is a type of French slang that takes words and plays around with them, often flipping them. In this case, the word merci was split up into two parts (mer and ci), then the two parts were switched to make cimer.

This is a very informal slang term that’s most often used by the younger generation among friends of the same age.

Mci — Thx (slang, written)

Five letters is just too much to type, isn’t it? That’s why internet and text slang shortens merci to three short letters: mci.

A few more versions of thanks exist in text slang only, and often utilize numbers:

MDA — Merci d’avance (Thanks in advance)

MR6 — Merci (Thanks)

P2K — Pas de quoi (You’re welcome)

2ri1 — De rien (You’re welcome)

Avec tous mes remerciements — With all my thanks (formal, written)

The main difference between this phrase and the earlier ones is that avec tous mes remerciements is formal. It’s often used at the end of a formal French email or letter. For instance:

Cher Monsieur,

J’ai entendu de votre organization d’un ami. Je voudrais aider les SDF et mon ami a dit que vous avez besoin de plus de bénévoles. Je m’intéresse à cette opportunité. Quelle sorte de travail est-ce qu’on ferait?

Aves tous mes remerciements,

Mme. Larsen 

Dear Sir,

I heard of your organization from a friend. I would like to help the homeless [SDF stands for sans domicile fixe, meaning “without fixed housing,” or simply “homeless”—great cultural insight to be familiar with!] and my friend said that you need more volunteers. I am interested in this opportunity. What sort of work would we do?

With all my thanks,

Ms. Larsen

Note that in formal writing, such as business emails and official paperwork, mademoiselle generally isn’t used, even if the woman in question is unmarried.

Avec mes remerciements anticipés — Thanking you in advance (formal)

This phrase is a formal way to thank the recipient for something they’re going to do.

In fact, this phrase would work just as well in the email example above, because we’re asking for information. It’s great to use when asking for things, such as a file, answers to questions, a face-to-face meeting, etc.

You could also say  merci d’anticipe (thank you in advance) which has the same basic meaning but is more colloquial and may be used in both formal and informal contexts.

How to Practice Giving a Genuine French “Thank You”

For some quick practice, write a thank-you note. It could be based on something someone actually did for you, or you can be creative (extra credit!) and imagine a scenario that would make you want to express your gratitude in writing.

For another, more focused activity, write/act out a dialogue that calls for using one or more of the words/phrases here. Think about which one would be most appropriate for each situation (there aren’t always right or wrong answers—some of these words are flexible or have similar meanings, leaving it up to the speaker to decide).

If you’re out of dialogue scenario ideas, try your hand at these examples:

  • You just finished a lovely lunch at a Parisian café (dreams can come true). What do you say to the waiter as you leave?
  • You were recently interviewed for a prestigious job in your field. What would you write in the body of an email as a follow-up/thank-you? (Hint: this is a great opportunity to put formal French to use!)
  • You’re in the hospital recovering from surgery and a group of friends visit you. What do you say to them?

As a final point, it’s also important to know what the response may be if you thank somebody in French. For this, you’ll want to learn the different ways and formalities of using “you’re welcome” in French.

Being aware of these different phrases will help your fluency and keep the conversation going.

 

Now that you’ve discovered these ways to express gratitude in French, je vous remercie d’avoir lu cet article! (I thank you for reading this article!)

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

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