Learn how to say "thank you"
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| 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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