How To Say Thank You In French

Do you want to learn the several ways to say thank you in French in 10 minutes?

The French place high importance on politeness, and knowing how to convey gratitude in their language is important.

From a straightforward thank you to ultra-polite expressions of gratitude, there are several ways to show gratitude in French. With these French terms for showing appreciation, you’ll be able to thank everyone for everything.

How To Say Thank You In French

1. Merci – the most common thank you in French

This is “Thank You” in French, the most common word to express gratitude. It could also simply mean ‘thanks’ in French. 

Merci can be used in a variety of contexts, both formal and informal, and regardless of what you’re thanking someone for.

The word merci also  has a long history: in Roman times, it meant “wages,” and it later came to mean “a favor” or “a mercy.” The expression eventually came to mean “thank you” in the sense that we know it today.

Pronunciation: mair see (mair, not mur)  

Note: The “you” part is already part of this expression, so don’t say merci tu. It’s just Merci. 

Variations of Merci

Aside from this simple one-word “thank you”, you can also say the following: 

• Merci beaucoup – “Thank you very much” and just like in Merci, the “very” is already part of this expression.  “Merci très beaucoup” is incorrect. 
• Merci bien – also means “thank you” but is not recommended to use in a formal setting. To be safe, just say merci beaucoup. 
• Un immense merci – this is “thank you so much” in French
• Mille mercis or merci mille fois – the closest translation is “thanks a million” but in French,  it’s only a thousand. 
• Merci infiniment – the literal translation is “Thank you infinitely (or thanks a million)”
• Merci du fond du Coeur – means  “Thank you from the bottom of my heart”
• Un grand merci – translates to “A big thank you”
• Merci d’avance / merci par avance – both means “Thanks in advance (the latter is more formal)”

Just like when you say bonjour, it is best to follow Merci (and its variations) with “Monsieur, Madame or Mademoiselle” or the name of the person you are talking to.

• Merci Madame
• Merci Mademoiselle

• Merci Monsieur
• Merci Claire
• Merci Antoine

2. Merci – but more personal/intimate way of saying thank you in French

If you want to express your gratitude to a particular person or community in French, use the preposition “à” after your “merci.”

A simple “Thank you” is transformed into “my gratitude to you” in this way, giving the phrase a more personal sense. Here’s what you say instead: 

• Merci à toi (informal) – Thanks to you. 
• Merci à vous (formal) – 

Thanks to you

• Merci à tous (plural) – Thank you all

Or, you can put the name of the person you are talking to after the à. For example: 

• Merci à Paul – Thank you, Paul

3. Merci – a formal way of saying thank you

The following are more formal than a plain merci in most cases.

• je vous remercie –  thank you

You may use one of the following sentences to thank a group of people or to emphasize the individual to whom you’re expressing gratitude:

• Je vous remercie (formal) – I thank you
• Je te remercie (informal) – I thank you

Like with merci, there  are variations of je vous remercie: 

Je vous remercie du fond du coeur – I thank you from the bottom of my heart

• Je vous remercie par avance – I thank you in advance
• Je vous remercie de votre attention – I thank you for your attention
• Je vous remercie pour… – I thank you for…

Note: These thank-you phrases in French are more formal and are commonly found in letters. It would be weird to use them in daily circumstances, such as casual emails or Facebook conversations.

4. Merci in French Slang

Over the years, various slang for Merci has been invented. Most of them sound quite natural when said by a native French speaker, but strange if coming from a foreigner. These French slang for Merci are usually spoken by the younger crowd. 

Here is some French slang for Merci. 

• Cimer – Thank you. 

This is an example of Verlan à l’envers, a form of French slang that works by breaking up and reversing syllables in words. Verlan was developed as a way for civilians to interact with one another without worry that authority figures would understand them.

• Merki – Thank you. 

This is a newer slang that came from Elie Semoun, a French comedian, whose character Micheline (Mikeline) pronounced the s and ch like k. His live show in 2009 was titled “Merki.”

5. More ways to say thank you in French

There are other ways to say “thank you” in French either without actually saying “thank you” or depending on the situation. Here are some of them: 

• C’est vraiment gentil de votre/ta part – That’s kind of you/That’s nice of you.

If someone just gave you a gift or did something nice, this is how you express gratitude and appreciation. Note that in French, there are two ways to say you. Votre is formal while  ta is informal. 

• C’est gentil de m’aider – thanks for your help.
• Avec tous mes / nos remerciements – literally translates to “with all my/our thanks”

When writing a formal letter or email, or when writing to a group of people you don’t know very well, this is the best style to use.

• Remerciez-le / -la de ma part – Thank him/her for me.

This is what you use  when you want to ask someone to thank someone else for you.

Here are some useful French phrases for expressing deep gratitude. When somebody does you a big favor and you want to prove that you truly appreciate them, use one of these: 

• Je ne sais pas comment vous remercier – I don’t know how to thank you.
• Je vous suis extrêmement reconnaissant – I am very grateful to you.

Bonus: How to respond to Thank you in French

De rien is the most common way to say “You’re welcome” in French, but there are varieties such as:

• Avec plaisir – With pleasure
• C’est rien du tout – It’s nothing at all 
• Je vous en prie (formal) – You’re welcome
• Je t’en prie (Informal) – You’re welcome. 
• Pas de problème – No problem

Want to learn more French phrases? Check out our language guides below: 

• Hello in French
• Nice to meet you in French 
• I love you in French
• Goodbye in French
• I’m Sorry in French
• I Miss You In French
• You’re Welcome In French