6 Ways to Say “Thank You” in French

As I’m sure your mother taught you back when you were a young child, showing gratitude is always important.

Not only does showing gratitude remind us of our good fortune, it also lets the person on the receiving end know that you appreciate them (whether it’s a co-worker, a family member, or date).

The best part of gratitude is that it’s practically universal, despite its myriad forms.

In fact, even those who don’t know very much French still likely know that “merci”, is French for “thank you.”

But when you only know how to say a simple “merci” when expressing your gratitude, the effects tend to become a bit dull over time.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other ways to say “thank you”. In the following article, we’re going to go over 6 ways to say, “thank you” in French.

The Best Way to Practice Saying “Thank You” in French

As we’ve discussed in some of our previous articles, watching TV or movies, or listening to podcasts, are excellent ways to practice your listening skills.

If you listen long enough, you may be able to spot dialogue that revolves around thanking someone.

By listening to other people express their gratitude, you’ll quickly pick up on the many ways to say “thank you” in French.

Merci – Thank You
As mentioned earlier, you likely already know this one, since it’s the basic way to say, “thank you” in French.

“Merci” is also a very flexible word, meaning that it can be used in formal and informal contexts.

In fact, you generally can’t go wrong by simply saying “merci”.

However, as you continue to learn and expand your vocabulary, it’s important to learn that there are more effective ways to express your thanks.

Merci Bien – Thanks A Lot
Our next form of gratitude, “merci bien”, is important because it can also be used to express sarcasm.

For example, “Tu m’as laissé un bordel. Merci bien!“ could be translated to “You left me a mess. Thanks a lot!”

It’s important to notice the subtle difference in inflection when “merci bien” is used sarcastically. That way, you’ll know if someone is being rude to you and you’ll avoid being sarcastic to someone you’re genuinely trying to thank

Merci Beaucoup – Thank You Very Much
“Merci beaucoup” is another lovely way to say thanks due to its versatility and the fact that it can be used formally and informally. The main difference with “merci beaucoup” is that it’s most often used to communicate a higher level of gratitude.

“Merci beaucoup” should be used on special occasions such as thanking someone for taking you out to a fancy dinner.

Merci Mille Fois – One Thousand Thanks
Essentially, “Merci mille fois” is used to express one of the deepest forms of gratitude. It’s somewhat of an exaggeration, but it literally translates to “I’m thanking you a thousand times.”

Although this one can be used in most situations, it should generally be reserved for special occasions when you truly want to express your gratitude for someone or something.

For example, you might want to use “merci mille fois” to thank someone for cooking you a full three-course from scratch on your birthday.

Merci à Tous – Thank You All
The main distinction with “merci à tous” is that it’s only used when expressing your gratitude to a group of people. It’s a more general form of gratitude, making it excellent to use when several of your friends throw you a surprise birthday party.

You might not know exactly who made the plans, sent the invites, or decorated the room, but saying “merci à tous” is an excellent way to include everyone in your thank you.

Avec Mes Remerciements Anticipés – Thank You in Advance
“Avec mes remerciements anticipés” is typically used in a more formal sense. In this case, the term should be used when you’re thanking someone for something that they still haven’t done yet.

This “thank you” is excellent to use when you’re asking for anything in advance, such as an answer to a question, a specific object, or possibly even an invitation to a face-to-face meeting with a potential employer.

Learn greetings and much more using LingQ

Now that you have a basic understand of saying thank you in French, why not start studying by using content you love?
In other words, you can learn French online by using your favorite songs, YouTube videos, podcasts, and much more. All you need is LingQ, an online language learning app where you choose how you want to study.

Using LingQ’s unique import feature, you can study the lyrics from your favorite song by reading, listening, and saving the vocabulary.

Or, if you enjoy watching French YouTubers and want to learn what they’re saying, you can import their content into LingQ too.

LingQ’s available for both Android and iOS so you can take your favorite content wherever you go and add in a few extra study lessons 😉 Read, listen, review, and do much more using LingQ. It’s free to try and it will help you make a breakthrough.