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Oxford Online English, 10 Ways to Say "Thank You" in English - How to Thank People and Respond

10 Ways to Say "Thank You" in English - How to Thank People and Respond

Hi, I'm Justin.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, you can learn how to thank people in English.

You'll learn different ways to say thank you in formal, neutral, or informal situations.

You'll also see how to make sure you sound polite and natural when you thank someone,

or respond to a thank-you.

Ready?

Let's get going!

I just wanted to say thank you for all your hard work on this project.

I really appreciate the contribution you've made.

Oh, well, that's nice of you; thank you for saying so!

Thank you very much for the invitation.

It was our pleasure, and thank you for coming.

I'm very grateful for all your help.

Oh, don't worry about it; it was nothing!

Here, you saw different ways to thank someone in formal situations.

Can you remember any of the phrases you heard?

In a formal situation, you could say:

I just wanted to say thank you for Thank you very much for…

I really appreciate…

I'm very grateful for…

After for, you can use a noun, or an -ing verb, like this:

I just wanted to say thank you for your help.

Or: I just wanted to say thank you for helping us.

After appreciate, you can use a noun, or that plus a clause.

For example:

I really appreciate your support.

Or: I really appreciate that you made such an effort to support me.

When someone thanks you, you need to respond.

The most basic way is to say You're welcome.

But, what can you do in a more formal situation?

In a truly formal situation, the most common way to respond is to thank the other person

for something else.

For example, in one of the dialogues, you heard one person say:

Thank you very much for the invitation.

The other person replied:

It was our pleasure, and thank you for coming.

You can use phrases like you're welcome or it's my pleasure in formal situations,

but it's also good to add a second thank-you.

Alternatively, you could say something like this:

Oh, don't worry about it; it was nothing!

What do you think this shows?

Saying something like this is a way to say, “Stop being so serious and formal.”

It shows that the other person doesn't need to thank you in a very formal way.

This is an important point: remember that formal language is not always more polite.

Formal language can sound cold or distant if you use it in the wrong situation.

You might need formal thank-yous in some companies or work situations, although many companies

have a more relaxed personal culture these days.

You might also use them in some social situations, for example a wedding or party where you don't

know the people very well.

Most of the time, you'll need to use neutral thank-you phrases.

Let's look!

Here's your camera.

Thanks for letting me borrow it!

No problem!

Excuse me, where's the entrance to the metro?

It's right there, just over the street.

Thank you!

You're welcome!

How'd you enjoy the food?

It was great!

Thanks!

My pleasure!

Let's start with a question: what does ‘neutral' mean?

‘Neutral' describes language which is neither formal nor informal.

Neutral language is the simple language which you can use in almost any situation.

In the dialogues, you heard three ways to thank someone using neutral language, and

three responses you can use when someone thanks you.

Do you remember the phrases you heard?

To thank someone using neutral language, you could say:

Thanks for…

Thank you!

Or, thanks!

To respond, you could say:

No problem!

You're welcome!

Or, my pleasure!

Easy, right?

Neutral language is the most common form.

You can also see that in neutral situations, the interactions are much shorter.

In formal situations, you need to speak more.

For example:

I just wanted to say thank you for letting me use your camera.

It was a great help to me.

This is formal, and you can see that it's quite long.

In a neutral situation, you can just say:

Thanks for letting me borrow your camera!

It's much shorter and simpler.

Next, what about informal situations?

Your coffee's ready.

I put it on the table.

(mmm hmm)

I got you a chocolate bar.

Oh, thanks.

Did you get a haircut?

Looks good!

You can see that in informal situations, you often might not say thank you at all!

You use informal language with people you know well.

In these situations, you often don't need to be traditionally polite.

So, you might say thank you another way, by making a noise, smiling, nodding, or something

like that.

You can use thanks in informal situations.

In British English, you can say cheers.

In informal situations, you often don't respond to a thank-you, so you don't use

phrases like you're welcome or my pleasure.

Of course, this depends on the situation and the people.

If you're not sure, then use neutral language: say thanks or thank you.

Now, you've seen how to thank people in English in formal, neutral and informal situations.

It's important to get the tone right, but there's another point which is important

when you thank someone in spoken English.

Can you guess what I mean?

I bought you a present.

Thank you so much!

I bought you a present.

Thank you so much!

I bought you a present.

Thank you so much.

Of course, when you thank someone, the whole point is to be polite.

The words and phrases you choose are important, but your intonation is possibly even more

significant.

You saw in the dialogues that the same phrase can have very different meanings with different

intonation.

Using polite phrases means nothing if your tone and body language don't match your

words.

For example: I'm so incredibly grateful for everything

you've done for me and I don't know how I can ever thank you.

If I say that to you, you know I'm not being polite; it doesn't matter that I'm using

very formal language.

Similarly, if you hear: Wow!

Thanks!

The language is more informal, but the tone makes it sound genuine, and therefore polite.

However, sounding more excited or sincere is not always better: if you overuse this

intonation, it can sound fake.

You need to match your language and your intonation to the situation, and then you'll sound

polite and natural when you thank people in English!

Now, we want to know something: how many different languages can you say thank you in?

Tell us in the comments, and let's see who knows the most different words!

Check out our website for more of our free English lessons: Oxford Online English dot

com.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!


10 Ways to Say "Thank You" in English - How to Thank People and Respond 10 Arten, "Danke" auf Englisch zu sagen - Wie man sich bedankt und antwortet 10 maneras de decir "gracias" en inglés - Cómo dar las gracias y responder 10 façons de dire "Thank You" en anglais - Comment remercier les gens et leur répondre 英語で「ありがとう」を言う10の方法 - 人へのお礼と返事の仕方 10 manieren om "dank je wel" te zeggen in het Engels - Mensen bedanken en reageren 10 maneiras de dizer "obrigado" em inglês - Como agradecer às pessoas e responder 10 способов сказать "спасибо" по-английски - Как благодарить людей и отвечать на благодарность İngilizce "Teşekkür Ederim" Demenin 10 Yolu - İnsanlara Nasıl Teşekkür Edilir ve Nasıl Karşılık Verilir 10 способів сказати "дякую" англійською - як дякувати людям і відповідати на них 用英语说“谢谢”的 10 种方法 - 如何感谢他人并做出回应 用英語說“謝謝”的 10 種方法 - 如何感謝他人並做出回應

Hi, I'm Justin.

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

In this lesson, you can learn how to thank people in English.

You'll learn different ways to say thank you in formal, neutral, or informal situations.

You'll also see how to make sure you sound polite and natural when you thank someone,

or respond to a thank-you.

Ready?

Let's get going! Lasst uns anfangen!

I just wanted to say thank you for all your hard work on this project. Ich wollte mich nur bei Ihnen für all Ihre harte Arbeit an diesem Projekt bedanken.

I really appreciate the contribution you've made. Ich weiß Ihren Beitrag sehr zu schätzen.

Oh, well, that's nice of you; thank you for saying so! Oh, das ist nett von Ihnen; Danke, dass Sie das sagen!

Thank you very much for the invitation. Vielen Dank für die Einladung.

It was our pleasure, and thank you for coming.

I'm very grateful for all your help. Ich bin sehr dankbar für all Ihre Hilfe.

Oh, don't worry about it; it was nothing! Oh, mach dir darüber keine Sorgen; es war nichts!

Here, you saw different ways to thank someone in formal situations.

Can you remember any of the phrases you heard?

In a formal situation, you could say:

I just wanted to say thank you for Thank you very much for…

I really appreciate… Ich schätze wirklich…

I'm very grateful for… Ich bin sehr dankbar für …

After for, you can use a noun, or an -ing verb, like this:

I just wanted to say thank you for your help. Ich wollte mich nur für deine Hilfe bedanken.

Or: I just wanted to say thank you for helping us. Oder: Ich wollte mich nur bedanken, dass Sie uns geholfen haben.

After appreciate, you can use a noun, or that plus a clause. Nach schätzen können Sie ein Substantiv oder das plus eine Klausel verwenden.

For example:

I really appreciate your support. Ich bin wirklich dankbar für deine Unterstützung.

Or: I really appreciate that you made such an effort to support me. Oder: Ich weiß es wirklich zu schätzen, dass Sie sich so bemüht haben, mich zu unterstützen.

When someone thanks you, you need to respond. Wenn sich jemand bei Ihnen bedankt, müssen Sie antworten.

The most basic way is to say You're welcome. Der einfachste Weg ist zu sagen, dass Sie willkommen sind.

But, what can you do in a more formal situation?

In a truly formal situation, the most common way to respond is to thank the other person In einer wirklich formellen Situation ist die üblichste Art zu reagieren, der anderen Person zu danken

for something else.

For example, in one of the dialogues, you heard one person say: In einem der Dialoge haben Sie zum Beispiel eine Person sagen hören:

Thank you very much for the invitation.

The other person replied: Die andere Person antwortete:

It was our pleasure, and thank you for coming. Es war uns eine Freude und vielen Dank für Ihr Kommen.

You can use phrases like you're welcome or it's my pleasure in formal situations,

but it's also good to add a second thank-you. aber es ist auch gut, ein zweites Dankeschön hinzuzufügen.

Alternatively, you could say something like this: Alternativ könnte man auch so etwas sagen:

Oh, don't worry about it; it was nothing!

What do you think this shows? Was denkst du, zeigt das?

Saying something like this is a way to say, “Stop being so serious and formal.” So etwas zu sagen ist eine Art zu sagen: „Hör auf, so ernst und förmlich zu sein.“

It shows that the other person doesn't need to thank you in a very formal way. Es zeigt, dass sich die andere Person nicht sehr förmlich bei dir bedanken muss.

This is an important point: remember that formal language is not always more polite. Das ist ein wichtiger Punkt: Denken Sie daran, dass formelle Sprache nicht immer höflicher ist.

Formal language can sound cold or distant if you use it in the wrong situation. Formale Sprache kann kalt oder distanziert klingen, wenn Sie sie in der falschen Situation verwenden.

You might need formal thank-yous in some companies or work situations, although many companies In einigen Unternehmen oder Arbeitssituationen benötigen Sie möglicherweise ein formelles Dankeschön, obwohl dies in vielen Unternehmen der Fall ist

have a more relaxed personal culture these days.

You might also use them in some social situations, for example a wedding or party where you don't Sie können sie auch in einigen sozialen Situationen verwenden, zum Beispiel bei einer Hochzeit oder Party, wo Sie dies nicht tun

know the people very well.

Most of the time, you'll need to use neutral thank-you phrases. Meistens müssen Sie neutrale Dankesphrasen verwenden.

Let's look!

Here's your camera.

Thanks for letting me borrow it! Danke, dass ich es ausleihen durfte!

No problem!

Excuse me, where's the entrance to the metro?

It's right there, just over the street. Es ist genau dort, gleich auf der anderen Straßenseite.

Thank you!

You're welcome!

How'd you enjoy the food? Wie hat dir das Essen geschmeckt?

It was great!

Thanks!

My pleasure! Freut mich!

Let's start with a question: what does ‘neutral' mean?

‘Neutral' describes language which is neither formal nor informal.

Neutral language is the simple language which you can use in almost any situation.

In the dialogues, you heard three ways to thank someone using neutral language, and

three responses you can use when someone thanks you.

Do you remember the phrases you heard?

To thank someone using neutral language, you could say:

Thanks for…

Thank you!

Or, thanks!

To respond, you could say:

No problem!

You're welcome! Gern geschehen!

Or, my pleasure! Oder, mein Vergnügen!

Easy, right? Einfach richtig?

Neutral language is the most common form.

You can also see that in neutral situations, the interactions are much shorter. Sie können auch sehen, dass in neutralen Situationen die Interaktionen viel kürzer sind.

In formal situations, you need to speak more. In formellen Situationen müssen Sie mehr sprechen.

For example:

I just wanted to say thank you for letting me use your camera. Ich wollte mich nur bedanken, dass ich deine Kamera benutzen durfte.

It was a great help to me.

This is formal, and you can see that it's quite long.

In a neutral situation, you can just say:

Thanks for letting me borrow your camera! Danke, dass ich mir deine Kamera ausleihen durfte!

It's much shorter and simpler.

Next, what about informal situations?

Your coffee's ready. Ihr Kaffee ist fertig.

I put it on the table.

(mmm hmm)

I got you a chocolate bar. Ich habe dir einen Schokoriegel besorgt.

Oh, thanks.

Did you get a haircut? Hast du einen Haarschnitt bekommen?

Looks good! Sieht gut aus!

You can see that in informal situations, you often might not say thank you at all! Sie sehen, dass Sie sich in informellen Situationen oft gar nicht bedanken!

You use informal language with people you know well. Sie verwenden informelle Sprache mit Menschen, die Sie gut kennen.

In these situations, you often don't need to be traditionally polite.

So, you might say thank you another way, by making a noise, smiling, nodding, or something Du könntest dich also auf andere Weise bedanken, indem du ein Geräusch machst, lächelst, nickst oder so

like that.

You can use thanks in informal situations.

In British English, you can say cheers. Im britischen Englisch kannst du cheers sagen.

In informal situations, you often don't respond to a thank-you, so you don't use

phrases like you're welcome or my pleasure.

Of course, this depends on the situation and the people.

If you're not sure, then use neutral language: say thanks or thank you.

Now, you've seen how to thank people in English in formal, neutral and informal situations. Jetzt haben Sie gesehen, wie man sich auf Englisch in formellen, neutralen und informellen Situationen bedankt.

It's important to get the tone right, but there's another point which is important Es ist wichtig, den Ton richtig zu treffen, aber es gibt noch einen anderen Punkt, der wichtig ist

when you thank someone in spoken English. wenn Sie jemandem in gesprochenem Englisch danken.

Can you guess what I mean?

I bought you a present. Ich habe dir ein Geschenk gekauft.

Thank you so much!

I bought you a present. Ich habe dir ein Geschenk gekauft.

Thank you so much!

I bought you a present. Ich habe dir ein Geschenk gekauft.

Thank you so much.

Of course, when you thank someone, the whole point is to be polite. Wenn Sie sich bei jemandem bedanken, geht es natürlich darum, höflich zu sein.

The words and phrases you choose are important, but your intonation is possibly even more

significant.

You saw in the dialogues that the same phrase can have very different meanings with different

intonation.

Using polite phrases means nothing if your tone and body language don't match your Höfliche Ausdrücke zu verwenden, bedeutet nichts, wenn Ihr Ton und Ihre Körpersprache nicht mit Ihrer übereinstimmen

words.

For example: I'm so incredibly grateful for everything Zum Beispiel: Ich bin so unglaublich dankbar für alles

you've done for me and I don't know how I can ever thank you.

If I say that to you, you know I'm not being polite; it doesn't matter that I'm using Wenn ich Ihnen das sage, wissen Sie, dass ich nicht höflich bin; es spielt keine Rolle, dass ich benutze

very formal language.

Similarly, if you hear: Wow! Ebenso, wenn Sie hören: Wow!

Thanks!

The language is more informal, but the tone makes it sound genuine, and therefore polite. Die Sprache ist informeller, aber der Ton lässt sie echt und daher höflich klingen.

However, sounding more excited or sincere is not always better: if you overuse this Es ist jedoch nicht immer besser, aufgeregter oder aufrichtiger zu klingen: wenn Sie dies überbeanspruchen

intonation, it can sound fake.

You need to match your language and your intonation to the situation, and then you'll sound Sie müssen Ihre Sprache und Ihre Intonation der Situation anpassen, und dann klingen Sie

polite and natural when you thank people in English!

Now, we want to know something: how many different languages can you say thank you in? Jetzt wollen wir etwas wissen: In wie vielen verschiedenen Sprachen kann man Danke sagen?

Tell us in the comments, and let's see who knows the most different words!

Check out our website for more of our free English lessons: Oxford Online English dot

com.

Thanks for watching!

See you next time!