A simple search will tell that you can say “Danke” for thank you in German. However, there are 14 common expressions used to thank someone in German. You can use them in various contexts as thank you is one of the commonly used phrases in German. This blog covers everything you need to know about how to say thank you in German and their pronunciation. Moreover, you will also find how to respond to “Thank You” if someone expresses their gratitude to you. Further, you will get to know about other commonly used phrases in German. Let us first explore the 15 ways to say thank you in German below.
Table of Contents
1. Danke - (Thanks!)
2. Danke Schön / Danke sehr- (Thank you very much!)
3. Danke, sehr aufmerksam (Thank you, that’s very kind of you!)
4. Vielen Dank (Many thanks!)
5. Herzlichen Dank (Thank you kindly)
6. Vielen Dank im Voraus (Thank you in advance!)
7. Tausend Dank (A thousand thanks!)
8. Ich danke Dir / Ihnen Vielmals (I thank you a lot!)
9. Ich kann dir gar nicht genug danken (I cannot thank you enough!)
10. Danke, gleichfalls (Thank You, you too!)
11. Besten Dank (Thank you very much!)
12. Ich bedanke mich (I give you my thanks)
13. Ich möchte mich bedanken (I would like to thank you)
14. Danke Fur (Thank you for...)
There are many ways to say “Thank you” in German. Only a “Danke” might not seem sufficient every time. Several situations demand a politer or formal expression than that! This section will help you with 15 expressions to say thank you in German and their pronunciation below:
| English | Thank You in German | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Thanks | Danke | Dang+ke |
| Thank you very much | Danke Schön / Danke sehr | Dang+ke Shun / Dang+ke Zehr |
| Thank you, that’s very kind of you | Danke, sehr aufmerksam | Dang+ke, ZehrAwf+mek-saam |
| Many thanks | Vielen Dank | Feelen Dang+ke |
| Thank you kindly | Herzlichen Dank | Herz+licken Dang+ke |
| Thank you in advance | Vielen Dank im Voraus | FeelenDang+ke Im fuh+haus |
| A thousand thanks | Tausend Dank | Thousand Dang+ke |
| I thank you a lot | Ich danke Dir / Ihnen Vielmals | Ish Dang+ke Deer |
| I cannot thank you enough | Ich kann dir gar nicht genug danken | Ish Cunn Deer Gaar Nish+t Genoog Daanken |
| Thank You, you too | Danke, gleichfalls | Dang+ke Glaishfatz |
| Thank you very much | Besten Dank | Best+nDang+ke |
| I give you my thanks | Ich bedanke mich | Ish Bedanke Mish |
| I would like to thank you | Ich möchte mich bedanken | Ish Moshte Mish Bedanken |
| Thank you for... | Danke Fur | Dang+ke Fur |
This is one of the most commonly used expressions in German to thank someone. Danke meaning in English is “Thanks!” and is suitable to use in almost every situation, with a smile, of course! Moreover, it also does not matter whom you are talking to.
A simple thanks in German often doesn’t match the intensity of gratefulness you wish to express. Thus, you can use Danke sehr which means “Thank you very much”. It can be used in formal as well as informal interchangeably. They mean thank you very much in German. However, it is a little politer than “Danke” which means thanks or thank you. You can also use Danke schön meaning thank you very much. It is also a complete sentence. Hence, it is all you need to say after someone does something nice for you.
When you have to respond to someone going a bit out of the way to help you, you can use the phrase “Danke, sehr aufmerksam”. it is a great way of conveying that their actions mean a lot to you and you are thankful for their effort.
This one is similar to Danke schön in terms of expressing gratitude in German. You can also use it instead of Danke in almost all situations as it is thank you in German formal and informal settings.
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When you mean thank you by heart, you must use “Herzlichen Dank”. Hence, the word “Herz” means heart in the German language. Herzlichen Dank usually means thank you from heart and you will often find it written with a heart emoji (when written in an informal setting).
When you ask someone for a favour, you tend to thank them in advance. For such situations, the most appropriate phrase for thank you in German will be “Vielen dank im voraus”. The most appropriate way to use this is while typing an E-mail.
Hopefully, you will get a time when you would want to thank someone over and over for what they do for you. For such situations, you can use numbers in German with thank you. For example, thank you a thousand times will go as Tausend Dank in German.
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What makes this one different from a simple Danke is that this one is a complete sentence. Which in English basically means “I thank you a lot”. Moreover, you can use it in formal or informal conversations. For formal, you have to change “Dir” to “Inhen” or “Inhen Vielmals”.
Sometimes, a single act can bring a significant positive change in your life—a rare but impactful moment. It’s important to express gratitude the right way, like saying, “Ich kann dir gar nicht genug danken!” which basically means “I can’t thank you enough”.
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When someone wishes you well and encourages you with phrases like “All the best” or “Have a good day,” you use “Danke, gleichfalls.” It is because you wish the same for that person.
When you want to thank someone but also don’t want to sound overly excited, you can use, “Besten Dank”. This is another common way of saying thank you in German.
Another complete phrase for saying thank you in German language is “Ich bedanke mich”. Which means I thank you or I give you my thanks. You can use it upon receiving money for a product or a service you offer. This is rarely used among friends in German.
The modal verb möchte is used to express a wish. It depicts your intense desire to thank the other person and increases the value of your words. You can use this phrase with anyone, from your boss to a friend to a total stranger!
This is one of the most common ways of expressing gratitude in German. It is also incomplete, and the phrase can be completed by stating exactly what you are thankful for. You will need to know a few more German words to finish this phrase.
Also Read: How to Say You’re Welcome in German?
Do you ever wonder what if you are the person being thanked in a conversation? You must know how to say You’re welcome in German in an appropriate way! One of the most used phrases to respond to “Thank you” in German is “Bitte”. It means “You’re welcome!”. However, as you noted, there is more than one way of thanking in German. Similarly, the response depends on the type of “Thank you” you receive. Here are some common ways to respond to gratitude in German:
This is equal to Danke and is most commonly used to respond to thank you.
Pronunciation: Bittuh
With a little more emphasis in your response, you can say “Bitte schön”. It is more polite than “Bitte”, being a good response to thank you in German formal tone.
Pronunciation: Bittuh shun
It is used exactly the way its English translation is used. It is appropriate for formal and informal situations.
Pronunciation: Gyaan Gasheen
You can also say “No problem” in response to someone thanking you. It is called “Kein problem” in German.
Pronunciation: Kaain Phobleem
This one is a friendly response to thank you and can also be used in formal settings.
Pronunciation: Yeh+dat+sait
Let us also look at some commonly used phrases in German language to learn better the use of “Thank you”. This will expand your knowledge and help you learn German language:
| ENGLISH | GERMAN |
|---|---|
| I thank him for my life. | Ich danke ihm mein Leben. |
| I'll order that later, thank you. | Das bestelle ich später, danke schön. |
| Thank you very much for your confirmation. | Vielen Dank für deine Bestätigung |
| Thank you very much for the beautiful flowers! | Herzlichen Dank für die schönen Blumen! |
| I would be happy to be invited to an interview. Thank you in advance! | Über eine Einladung zum Bewerbungsgespräch würde ich mich freuen. Vielen Dank im Voraus! |
| Thank you so much for believing in me and my work. | Tausend Dank, dass du an mich und meine Arbeit glaubst. |
| I thank you for your redemptive work through many generations. | Ich danke dir für dein erlösendes Wirken durch viele Generationen. |
| Commissioner, I thank you for your persistence in this matter. | Frau Kommissarin, ich bedanke mich für Ihr Drängen in dieser Angelegenheit. |
| I would like to thank you for healing my animals. | Ich möchte mich bedanken bei Ihnen für die Heilung meiner Tiere. |
| Thanks for the lovely gift. | Danke für das schöne Geschenk. |
To sum up, thank you in German is one of the most commonly used phrases. Hence, as a student, employee, or even a tourist, you must know its variations with correct usage and pronunciation. There are levels of learning the German language: from A1 to C2, C2 being for proficient users. The best way to learn German is to join a German online coaching program. Moreover, you can also access online resources for the same. Happy learning!
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Danke in German means thanks or thank you. However, if you want to make it more polite or express more, you can say Vielen danke meaning many thanks or Tausend Dank (A thousand thanks). This is how to say thank you in German in polite and friendly ways.
You will be surprised to know that Germans often use “OK” like we use it in English. Moreover, they also use the variations of “OK” such as “Okay” and “ok”.
As a tourist in Germany, you might find the following phrases useful, as they are used very commonly:
Excuse me is called “Entschuldigung” in German. It is pronounced as “ent+shul+di+gung”. Its purpose and usage is the same, of course.
The term “Bitte” has several meanings depending upon the situation and what it means. Some of the common meanings of the word Bitte in German are:
The meaning and context of this word change as per the situation.
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