Buzz
There are numerous ways to express gratitude in German. This article will guide you on how to do so.
Steps
Common Expressions of Thanks
Say "danke". Danke is an interjection meaning "thank you" or "thanks".
- Pronounce this word as DAHN-keh with the stress on the first syllable.
- Danke is derived from the noun dank, which means "thanks" or "gratitude".
Say "Ich danke Ihnen" or "Ich danke dir". Both phrases translate to "I thank you."
- Ich in German means "I".
- In this context, danke shares its root with the verb danken, which means "to thank".
- When capitalized, Ihnen is the formal pronoun for "you". Dir is the informal equivalent.
- The first phrase is pronounced eech DAHN-keh EE-nun.
- The second phrase is pronounced eech DAHN-keh DEAR.
Use "bitte" to accept an invitation. Responding with danke implies a polite refusal, whereas "bitte" means "Yes, please" or "You're welcome".
- Pronounce bitte as BIT-eh.
Emphasized Expressions of Gratitude
Express deep gratitude by saying "danke schön" or "danke sehr". Both phrases emphasize thanks, but "danke sehr" carries a stronger tone than "danke schön".
- The word "schön" alone means "beautiful" or "lovely" but isn't translated in "danke schön".
- The word "sehr" means "a lot" or "very much". Thus, "danke sehr" translates to "thank you very much".
- Pronounce danke schön as DAHN-keh shoon.
- Pronounce danke sehr as DAHN-keh zaer.
Say "tausend dank!" to express immense gratitude. This phrase literally means "a thousand thanks!"
- Tausend in German means "a thousand".
- In this phrase, dank is a noun meaning "thanks".
- Pronounce this phrase as TAU-zent DAHNK.
Use "danke vielmals" or "vielen dank" to emphasize your gratitude. Both phrases convey a strong sense of appreciation.
- Danke vielmals is an interjection meaning "thank you very much" or "many thanks". Danke comes from the standard interjection for "thank you", and vielmals means "very much".
- Vielen dank is another interjection meaning "thank you very much" or "many thanks". "Vielen" translates to "many", and "dank" is the noun for "thanks" in German.
- The first phrase is pronounced DAHN-keh FEEL-malls.
- The second phrase is pronounced FEEL-en DAHNK.
Express your gratitude with the phrase "Ich bin Ihnen sehr dankbar für." This translates to "I am very grateful to you for..."
- Ich means "I", and Ihnen (capitalized) is the formal way to say "you". You can replace Ihnen with dir, which is the informal equivalent.
- The word bin is equivalent to the verb "to be" in English.
- The phrase sehr dankbar means "very grateful" or "thankful".
- The word für means "for".
- Complete the sentence by adding the reason for your gratitude.
- The basic pronunciation of this phrase is eek bin (EEH-nun / DEAR) DAHNK-bar fe-ur.
Show your gratitude with the phrase "Mit tiefer Dankbarkeit". This phrase means "with deep gratitude".
- The word mit means "with".
- Dankbarkeit translates to "gratitude". When combined with tiefer, the phrase tiefer Dankbarkeit means "deep gratitude".
- This phrase is pronounced MITT TEEF-er DAHNK-bar-kite.
Responding to Thanks
Use "gern geschehen." This phrase is a common way to say "you're welcome", "my pleasure", or "don't mention it".
- Gerne means "gladly" or "with pleasure".
- Geschehen means "to happen" or "to occur".
- While the literal translation may not make complete sense, the phrase conveys that you were happy to do something for the person thanking you.
- This phrase is pronounced GHERN gah-SHANE.
Simply say "gerne". A common way to respond with "you're welcome" is by using the word "gerne", which means "gladly" or "with pleasure".
- This word is pronounced as GHERN.
