How To Say ‘Thank you’ in German

In most cultures it is common to express one's gratitude in one way or another. The dictionary defines gratitude as: "the quality of being grateful; the readiness to show appreciation and return kindness".

A sincere, grateful response to another's actions or words is often the "glue" that holds relationships together. This is true in most societies! When you do this in a foreign country, you are also showing your respect and appreciation for the culture. Words have great power - use them sincerely and honestly.

How do you say "thank you" in German? You can easily learn!

12 ways to say "thank you" in German

1 - Thank you.

Danke.

The magic words that can put a smile on anyone's face. For one day, really mean it when you say these words and see how it lifts your mood too!

2 - That's very nice of you.

Das ist sehr nett von dir/Ihnen (informal/formal).

This phrase is appropriate when someone is obviously going out of their way to please you or do you a favour.

3 - Thank you very much for your kind words!

Danke für deine/ihre netten Worte!

Someone complimented you and made you feel good? That's nice of him/her, so express your gratitude!

4 - Thank you for coming today.

Danke, dass du heute gekommen bist.

This greeting should be part of your arsenal when you have more formal meetings with German speakers. If you are hosting a party, this is also a good phrase to greet your German guests!

5 - Thank you for your attention.

Danke für deine Rücksichtnahme.

This is a more formal, almost ceremonial way of thanking someone for their thoughtfulness and sensitivity. It is also suitable when a native speaker needs to think about something you are presenting, such as an application, project or proposal. It is essentially a thank you for the time and effort they will spend or have spent on your application.

6 - Thank you very much!

Danke vielmals!

This means the same as "Thank you" but with more energy and enthusiasm! In German it means almost the same as "Thank you very much". Use this word in an informal setting with your German friends or teachers.

7- Teachers like you are not easy to find.

Lehrer wie Sie sind nicht leicht zu finden.

Some phrases are compliments that express gratitude by drawing a conclusion. This is one of them. If you are particularly impressed by your GermanPod101 teacher, remember this phrase!

8 - Thank you for spending time with us.

Vielen Dank für die gemeinsame Zeit.

Every host of an event with German speakers, such as a meeting or party, should know this phrase! Use it when you want to say goodbye or end a meeting. It's also a nice way to thank your German teacher for her time.

9 - Thank you for being patient and helping me to improve.

Vielen Dank für Ihre Geduld und die Unterstützung, mich zu verbessern.

This sentence also makes the heart of every German teacher beat faster! Teaching is not easy and often requires a lot of patience from the teacher. Thank him/her for that! This is also a good sentence if you are working in Germany and want to thank your trainer or employer. It will make you a popular employee - gratitude is the most attractive quality in a person!

10 - You are the best teacher ever!

Sie sind der beste Lehrer den es gibt!

This is another enthusiastic way to thank your teacher with a compliment. It might just make his day!

1- Thank you for the gift.

Danke für das Geschenk.

This is a good phrase to remember when you are the lucky recipient of a gift. Show your respect and gratitude with these words.

12 - Thanks to you, I have learned so much.

Ich habe so viel durch sie gelernt.

What a lovely compliment for a good teacher! It means that he/she has achieved his/her goal and you are grateful to him/her.

"Please", "thank you" and "you're welcome" are part of everyday interaction and should be used frequently. In most cases a simple "thank you" is sufficient, but just like in English there are many ways to say thank you.

1 - Dankeschön.

In Germany, "dankeschön" means thank you. The first word of the sentence danke means thank you. It is followed by schön, which means "beautiful" in German. Now in German there are other ways to express gratitude. There are more formal and more casual ways of doing it.

2 - Danke.

Let's look at the casual way. In German, the casual way of expressing gratitude is the equivalent of "thank you". This phrase is used among friends and in other casual situations.

3 - Vielen Dank.

For very special occasions, when someone is more than just friendly, when someone is very generous, or when you are very grateful for other reasons, there are the following phrases to express extreme gratitude: The first is "vielen Dank" or "many thanks". The first word "vielen" means "many" in English.

4 - Herzlichen Dank.

The next one is Herzlichen Dank. which means "heart felt thanks" in English.

5 - Ich danke Ihnen.

In a formal situation, it is important to address people as Sie and Ihnen. This is especially important if you don't know the person, in business situations or in any case where more distance is needed. A good example is a meeting with a professor, an employer or a business meeting. In these situations, a simple "danke" is not at all appropriate, but the formal " Ich danke Ihnen" is more common and appropriate. Let's go through this one more time. The first word Ich is the German word for "I". Then follows "danke" and the last word "Ihnen", which is the formal form for the English "you". To repeat, the formal form of "thank you" is Ich danke Ihnen. These expressions are important and easy to use in everyday life. Wherever you go in Germany, remember to say thank you.

It is always positive to say thank you or danke after a helpful interaction. In formal situations, the best way to say thank you is "Ich danke Ihnen", using the pronouns "Sie" or"Ihnen".

You can always use this form if you do not know the person you want to thank.

The German language has a number of vowels that we do not have in English. These vowels are topped with two dots above the letter, called umlaut. We see this in the vowel ö in schön. The correct pronunciation of this vowel is when you close your lips a little more, as if you were whistling. The most similar sound in English would be the word "earn".

Danke!

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