One thing you’ll notice when you learn French or come to France is that the French are very polite. Even in stressful places like the métro, words and phrases like Pardon (Excuse me), s’il vous plaît (please), monsieur (sir), and madame (ma’am) are widely used. And then of course, there’s Merci—Thank you.
Whether you’re just visiting or planning to make your home in France, knowing how to say “thank you” in French is an essential part of connecting with others and fitting in.
Knowing (and using) Merci is pretty important. But if you want to express a particular degree of thanks, be more or less formal, or simply vary your French vocabulary, there are lots of other choices out there that go beyond a simple Merci.
As someone who’s lived in France for nearly twenty years, there are some ways to say “thank you” in French that I use, hear, or read just about every day—here are just a few.
Merci
Merci is the most common way to say “Thank you” or “Thanks” in French. Pronounced “mair-see”, it’s been used in French for more than a thousand years, and works in formal and informal situations alike.
Merci has roots in Latin and Old French. Its Latin root words, mercedem and merces, referred to things like a salary, price, or reward, before evolving into a meaning closer to the English word “mercy.” The meaning gradually changed again, becoming THE French way to say “thank you” or “thanks.”
Merci can be used on its own or as part of a sentence.
For instance:
– Votre monnaie. (Your change.) – Merci. (Thank you/Thanks.)
– Comment vas-tu ? (How are you doing?) – Je vais bien, merci. (I’m doing well, thanks.)
– Merci pour ce super cadeau. (Thank you for this awesome gift.)
– Merci, madame. (Thank you, madam/ma’am.)
If you want to be specific about who you’re thanking, you can add à (to) to it, followed by a pronoun or the person or people’s name(s).
For example:
-Merci à toi (Thank you (informal, singular “you”).)
-Merci à vous. (Thank you (formal or plural “you”).)
-Merci à Michel pour cet excellent repas. (Thank you, Michel, for this excellent meal.)
Note that you could also phrase this as, “Merci, Michel, pour cet excellent repas.”
Another common way you’ll see Merci used in France is in the phrase Merci de or Merci de ne pas. These are basically polite, formal, somewhat imperative ways to instruct people to do things. This means you won’t use these phrases with friends, or probably when talking directly to anyone. You’ll typically see them in the form of printed instructions at places like hotels and public spaces.
For example:
Merci de laisser cette porte fermée. (Please keep this door shut.)
As you can see, merci can be used in many ways, but one thing is for sure: In France you should use it on the regular. Be sure to say Merci when you’re helped or handed change at a shop or boulangerie, when someone gives you directions, when someone holds a door for you, and so on. If you’re traveling to France and don’t speak the language, this is one short, easy word you can memorize that will show respect, appreciation, and help you blend in at least a bit, as well.
Merci beaucoup
If a simple “thank you” won’t do, Merci beaucoup is the most common way to say “Thank you so much” or “Thanks so much” in French. Pronounced “Mair-see boh coo,” the phrase can be used in most formal and informal situations, although in extremely formal situations, it’s probably better to just use Merci or something more elevated instead.
Merci beaucoup is probably most often used on its own, but it can be used in a sentence as well.
For instance:
Merci beaucoup. Ça m’a bien aidé. (Thank you so much./Thanks so much. This really helped me.)
Merci beaucoup pour les chocolats. (Thanks so much for the chocolates.)
The French generally tend not to like exaggerated expressions—hence why many of them chuckle at Americans like myself who might enthusiastically say something like, “This is AMAZING” about, say, a funny commercial. But you may hear Merci beaucoup used in an offhand way, for something that isn’t particularly special or a big deal. For example, you might have to sign a delivery form and the person you hand it back to might say the entire phrase rather than a simple Merci.
Merci mille fois
While Merci beaucoup is the most common way to express extra gratitude in French, another one you’re likely to come across is Merci mille fois. Pronounced “Mair-see meel fwa,” this phrase literally means, “Thanks a thousand times.” Essentially, it’s the equivalent of “Thanks a million” in English, but I find it used a lot more frequently in French and with a more neutral connotation, so it’s probably better to think of it as a more emphatic Merci beaucoup.
Merci mille fois is perfect to use when someone does you a favor you’re really grateful for. Recently, for instance, my family and I were desperately looking for someone to feed our cat while we were away on a short trip. Our neighbor agreed to do it, and to show my relief and gratitude, that’s what I said to her.
Merci mille fois can be used in formal and informal situations. Just be careful not to overuse it, and when you say it, be sincere (or at least make an effort to seem to be).
Because it’s already a phrase on its own, you’ll usually see Merci mille fois as a standalone statement, although it’s not impossible to use it in a sentence.
For example:
-Merci mille fois. (Thank you so much.) –De rien ! (No problem!)
–Merci mille fois d’avoir nourri notre chat pendant notre absence. (Thank you so much for feeding our cat while we were away.)
Je vous remercie/Je te remercie
If you want a more formal way to say thank you in French, especially in a letter or email, Je vous remercie or Je te remercie is probably the easiest and most common option. Both phrases include remercier, the verb form of merci, and would be literally translated as, “I thank you.”
Je vous remercie, pronounced “Juh voo ruhmairsee,” is used with the formal “you” or to thank more than one person. Je te remercie, pronounced “Juh tuh ruhmairsee,” is used with the informal, singular “you.”
Both phrases might be used on their own, but it’s much more common to use them in a sentence.
For instance:
-Je vous remercie pour votre lettre. (Thank you for your letter.)
-Je te remercie de m’avoir aidé avec mes cours cette année. (Thank you for helping me with my studies this year.)
-Je vous remercie du fond du cœur. (Thank you (all) from the bottom of my heart.)
If you have a more advanced level of French, you could also use these phrases with en to refer to what you’re thanking the person for.
Like so:
-Je vous en remercie. (I thank you (for it/this/that), with formal or plural “you.”)
-Je t’en remercie. (I thank you (for it/this/that), with formal or plural “you.”)
-J’ai passé un bon moment et je vous en remercie. (I had a lovely time and I thank you (for it/this/that).)
-Je t’en remercie, Maman. (Thank you (for it/this/that), Mom.)
C’est vraiment gentil
If you’re looking for a way to say “thank you” in French without using merci or a related word, one common solution is C’est vraiment gentil. Pronounced “Say vray mahn john tee,” this phrase literally translates to, “That’s really nice (of you).” It’s used in informal situations.
Although gentil is an adjective, in this expression, the gender and number of gentil doesn’t change, no matter who you’re thanking.
C’est vraiment gentil is usually used on its own, but you might see it with additional words added to it.
For instance:
-Je peux te ramener chez toi. (I can take you home.) -C’est vraiment gentil. (That’s really nice of you.)
-Merci, c’est vraiment gentil. (Thanks, that’s really nice (of you).)
-Tiens, Marie, nous avons acheté un petit cadeau pour toi. (Hey, Marie, we bought you a little gift.) –C’est vraiment gentil ! (That’s really nice!)
Sometimes you might hear someone add de ta part or de votre part at the end of C’est vraiment gentil. This essentially is the equivalent of “of you” in English.
For instance:
Merci, c’est vraiment gentil de ta part. (Thanks, that’s really nice of you (when referring to a person who you’d address with tu, the informal form of “you”).)
C’est vraiment gentil de votre part. (That’s really nice of you (when referring to multiple people or to someone you’d address with vous, the formal form of “you”).)
C’est vraiment gentil is usually used in the present tense, but you may use or see it in the past as well: C’était vraiment gentil. (That was really nice of you.)
For example:
-Merci de m’avoir conduit chez moi hier soir, c’était vraiment gentil. (Thank you for coming to my house last night, that was really nice of you.)
Merci pour le cadeau, c’était vraiment gentil. (Thanks for the gift, that was really nice.)
Merci d’avoir partagé ton repas avec eux, c’était vraiment gentil de ta part. (Thank you for sharing your meal with them, that was really nice of you.)
You may hear young people and anyone else who uses more informal language say a variation of this expression: C’est trop gentil. This literally means “That’s too nice” and translates to something like “That’s soooo nice of you!”
Merci par avance/Merci d’avance
Merci par avance and Merci d’avance are phrases you’ll often come across in professional correspondence. Both mean “Thank you in advance.”
You can use either one, although as a general rule, Merci par avance is considered slightly more formal or literary than Merci d’avance.
Either way, though, this isn’t a phrase you’d use with friends or family in most contexts. Not only is it professional language; it’s also one of those “Thank you” expressions that can actually be a bit rude.
Like “Thank you in advance” in English, Merci par avance/Merci d’avance is a bit loaded because it implies that the person or people being thanked will do what’s asked. With that in mind, it’s best to use Merci par avance or Merci d’avance only when it’s obvious or already agreed that something will be done.
For example, if you’ve just talked to a coworker about signing some documents and she’s agreed to do it, you might send them to her in an email and write: Bonjour Céline, Voici les documents. Merci d’avance ! (Hi Céline, here are the documents. Thanks in advance!)
You can use Merci par avance or Merci d’avance on their own, or as part of a larger sentence. When they’re part of a larger sentence, the language should stay on the formal side. For instance:
Merci d’avance pour ton aide. (Thanks in advance for your help.)
Merci par avance de poster la lettre avant demain matin. (Thanks in advance for posting the letter before tomorrow morning.)
Merci de votre compréhension
You’re very likely to come across the phrase Merci de votre compréhension when you’re in France, and unlike most “Thank you’s,” this one isn’t good news.
Merci de votre compréhension literally translates to “Thank you for understanding,” but it’s closer to English expressions like “We appreciate your cooperation,” “Thank you for your patience,” “We appreciate your understanding,” “We apologize for the inconvenience,” etc. Essentially, it’s a way to be polite and maybe even actually grateful for someone’s patience or understanding, while also informing them of some inconvenience that can’t currently be changed or fixed.
For instance:
-L’ascenseur est actuellement hors service. Merci de votre compréhension. (The elevator is currently out of order. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
-Suite à un mouvement social, les trains en direction de Paris ne circuleront pas aujourd’hui. Merci de votre compréhension. (Due to a strike, Paris-bound trains will not be running today. We appreciate your understanding.)
Like its equivalent expressions in English, Merci de votre compréhension is typically used in formal communications addressing a group, not in one-on-one communications, and certainly not in polite conversations with friends, family members, or coworkers. This is one you’re more likely to just need to recognize than to actually say or write, yourself.
When it comes to saying “Thank you” in French, there are a lot of choices and nuances, just like in English. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, remember that when in doubt, in most cases a simple (and sincere) Merci will do the trick, and will definitely be appreciated.
Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, travel planner, and cookie enthusiast who’s lived in Paris, France, for nearly two decades. Author of Hearts at Dawn, a historical fantasy novel set during the 1870-1871 Siege of Paris, she often shares things she loves about life and history in the City of Light on her blog here, and on Instagram @lamarquisedecarabas.
