The most commen way to express your gratitude in French is simply by saying “Merci“.
It’s pronounced “mair see”. When saying “merci”, that word alone is enough. There’s no need to make an additional “you” to the sentence and say “merci tu”. Don’t say this.
Are there other ways of saying "thank you"?
Like in all languages, there’s ofcourse several ways of saying “thank you”. Here’s some of them to make your French more naunced:
- "Merci beaucoup". (Thank you very much)
- "Merci du fond du cæur" (Thank you from the bottom of my heart).
- "Un grand merci". A big thank you.
- "Mille mercis" or "Merci mille fois. (Thank you a thousand times)"
It might be more polite to directly refer to the person you’re talking to in France:
- Merci Madame,
- Merci Mademoiselle,
- Merci Monsieur,
- Merci Pierre.
Madame or Mademoiselle? While the administrative distinction between the two may have faded in forms and letters, the usage of both titles remains prevalent in spoken language.
How do you say "merci" in slang?
You might be familiar with “verlan,” a French slang that involves reversing the syllables of a word. Well, in French slang for expressing gratitude, we use the word “cimer.” While verlan itself isn’t new, saying “cimer” is relatively recent. It’s widely used by the younger generation today but wasn’t part of the language when I was younger.
A word of caution about slang: while it may sound natural and trendy when used by native French speakers, it can often come across as forced or even awkward when spoken by a foreigner. Moreover, using slang in situations where it’s not appropriate can easily lead to a “faux pas.”
For instance, I’m currently 48 as I write this article, and I can’t picture myself saying “cimer” – it would sound absurd coming from me!
Another slang expression for saying thank you in French is “merki.” This phrase is rooted in French pop culture and originates from a French comedian, Elie Semoun, whose character Micheline (Mikeline) pronounced the ‘s’ and ‘ch’ like ‘k.’ “Merki” was the title of his 2009 live show.
While using “merki” might resonate with a younger audience, dropping it as a foreigner could leave the right crowd utterly surprised!
Saying thanks for something
In French, if you wish to express gratitude to someone for something, you would use the preposition “pour” – the construction is the same as in English.
- Merci pour les chocolats
But! If what follows the thank you is a verb you have to use de instead of pour.
- Merci de me répondre rapidement
"Remercier" the French verb for thanks
An alternative way of saying “merci” is by using the verb “remercier”.
“Remercier” is usually followed by the preposition “pour” – just like to thank is followed by for in English.
Using “remercier” is quite formal in French, much less common than using “merci”.
- Je vous remercie pour ce délicieux repas.
- Je voulais vous remercie pour votre patience.
- Remerciez le/la de ma part.