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Lesson Transcript

Salut, je m'appelle Ingrid. Hi everybody! I’m Ingrid.
Welcome to FrenchPod101.com’s “Le français en 3 minutes”. The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn French.
In the last lesson, we learned how to introduce ourselves in French. Today we’re going to learn how to use good manners as we thank people.
Vous êtes prêts? Are you ready? Alors c'est parti, so let’s start!
There are several ways to thank someone, let’s start with the easiest. It is just one word:
Merci.
[slowly] Merci.
Merci means “thank you”.
When saying “thank you very much” you just need to add beaucoup.
Merci beaucoup.
[slowly] Merci beaucoup.
Beaucoup means “a lot”. So Merci beaucoup. is like saying “Thank you very much.”
During the last lesson we mentioned both the informal and the formal way of speaking French. Merci is the a casual way to thank someone, If you want to be more formal, there is another phrase you should use.
Je vous remercie.
[slowly] Je vous remercie.
Let’s break this phrase down. Je is I, and vous is the formal word for you. Remercie means “give thanks.” I give thanks to you. Je vous remercie.
How do you answer? It’s easy! There are basically two different ways to do it!
The first is:
De rien.
[slowly] De rien.
De rien literally means It's nothing but it is the equivalent of you are welcome;
The other way to say “you are welcome” is the expression:
Je vous en prie.
[slowly] Je vous en prie.
Literally, this phrase means "I beg you to do it" or "please do,” but it has become a common and polite way to respond to someone thanking you.
So when someone saying merci to you, we can simply reply with:
De rien or Je vous en prie.
Now it’s time for Ingrid’s Insights.
If you’re not sure about whether to use merci or Je vous remercie, keeping it simple is always your safest bet. You don’t have to worry about formal or informal situations; merci can be used with just about anyone, anywhere, and at anytime!
Do you know what aurevoir means? In our next Le français en 3 minutes lesson you’ll learn this and other greetings in French!
A bientôt et merci, à la prochaine leçon!

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