Giving and Receiving Thanks in Spanish
One of the most widely known Spanish words is gracias (thanks). Even people who know nothing else about the language often have this word up their sleeve. However, the giving of thanks (dar las gracias) in Spanish can be a little more complicated, and having the ability to give nuance to the way you thank someone can go a long way towards giving your communication a native fluency. Just as with giving thanks, there are also several ways to respond to and accept thanks given by others. Today we are going to take a look at the various ways to do both and when to use them.
Giving Thanks
Gracias
While the word gracias is relatively straightforward, it can be used in a variety of sentences, either to modify the strength of the gratitude being expressed or to specify what we are thankful for.
When using gracias we always use por and never para. For example:
Gracias por el libro.
Thanks for the book.
Gracias por siempre llevar a los niños a la niñera.
Thanks for always taking the children to the nanny/babysitter.
Gracias por una comida tan deliciosa.
Thanks for such a delicious meal,
Gracias por invitarme.
Thank you for inviting me.
When thanking people for having done something or for having done something for you or someone else, and that action has finished, you can use a compound form with the infinitive of the auxiliary verb haber and the participle of the appropriate verb, modifying the former if it is necessary to indicate for whom the action has been performed. For example:
Gracias por haber llevado a mi perro al veterinario.
Thank you for taking my dog to the vet.
Gracias por habernos regalado estos ramos de flores tan bonitos.
Thank you for giving us those very beautiful bouquets of flowers as a gift.
Gracias por haberme ayudado con la mudanza.
Thank you for helping me with the move.
Gracias por haberle hablado a mi hijo sobre su futuro.
Thanks for talking to my son about his future.
Agradecer
Agradecer is the verb ‘to appreciate’ as it is often used as a way of expressing thanks. In almost all cases the word gracias can be replaced with the conjugated form of agradecer, for example:
Te agradezco.
Thank you
Te agradecemos.
We thank you.
Te agradezco de todo corazón.
Thank you with all my heart.
Te agradezco por haberme ayudado a escribir mi ensayo.
Thank you for helping me to write my essay.
You can also use this verb to simply say that you are grateful:
Estoy muy agradecido/a.
I am very grateful.
Estábamos muy agradecidos cuando recibimos la ayuda.
We were very grateful when we received the help.
Agradezco toda la ayuda que le has dado a mi madre.
I am grateful for all the help you have given my mother.
Other ways to say thanks
There are a few other common phrases that people use in place of gracias:
Lo aprecio - I appreciate it
Aprecio que estés ahí para mí.
I appreciate that you are there for me.
Realmente aprecio tu honestidad.
I really appreciate your honesty.
Te debo uno - I owe you one
¡Qué genial! Te debo uno.
That's great! I owe you one.
Habría llegado tarde si no me hubieras ayudado, te debo uno.
I would have been late if you hadn’t helped me, I owe you one.
Que amable - How kind
¡Flores! ¡Que amable!
Flowers! How kind.
¡Que amable de tu parte!
How kind of you.
Receiving Thanks
It is also very important to respond to thanks in the correct way, as not responding or responding with the wrong words can be quite offensive. There are several ways to respond, most of which are used in the same way as the English phrase ‘you are welcome’, despite having quite different literal translations.
De nada - This is the most commonly used and is the closest to ‘you are welcome’ in meaning. If you only learn one way to respond, this is the most widely applicable and the best option if you are not sure which to use.
No hay de que - This literally means ‘there’s nothing to… [thank for]’’, and is used similarly to English phrases like ‘it’s nothing’, ‘not at all’ or ‘don’t mention it’ or ‘no worries’. It is not unusual to see it translated to ‘you are welcome’ in the same way as de nada.
No tienes por qué - This is used in some Spanish speaking countries in the same way as no hay de que. It literally means ‘you do not have to’, but is closer in use to ‘don’t mention it’ or ‘no worries’.
No te preocupes - Don’t worry about it. This is more commonly used as a response for apologies, although you may hear it as a replacement for ‘you are welcome’.
Ni lo mencione - Don’t mention it. This is used in exactly the same way as the equivalent English phrase.
No pasa nada - Used to mean ‘no worries’ or ‘don’t worry about it’.
Un placer - A pleasure. You can use this when you would say ‘the pleasure was mine’ or simply ‘it was a pleasure’.
Con gusto - With pleasure. Used in the same way as un placer.
A ti/usted - ‘You too’. This is used when you want to thank someone back directly, such as when a shopkeeper thanks you during a transaction and you wish to return the thanks.
Thanksgiving
Finally, the Spanish phrase for the Thanksgiving holiday is El día de acción de gracias, although it can be shortened in some places to El día de gracias.
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