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One of the challenges of learning to speak French well is mastering those little expressions of politeness that go a long way to making conversations flow with no problems or difficulties and demonstrate fluency. When somebody says “Thank you (very much)” to us in English, the most mutual response is probably along the lines of: “You’re welcome” or galore variation such as: “You’re more than welcome” or “You’re very welcome”. There are a couple of other possibilities, of course, such as: “Be my guest”, “My pleasure”, “No problem” and “Likewise”. Certain forms such as “You’re welcome” and “My pleasure” are socially neutral in that they may be used underneath any circumstances. Others may be considered rather informal, to be used in casual conversations, and others more formal for those occasions where one wants to be more polite. In French the circumstance is similar; there are a heap of ways to respond to “Merci”, “Merci beaucoup” or “Je vous remercie (beaucoup)”. Be careful. You ought to refrain from at all costs the temptation to translate word for word from English. The results are inevitably very awkward and show a poor command of idiomatic French. Instead, you want to reply with a quick and convinced response that will impress your listener and give the impression that your French is very fluent. Let me initial point out that in France, one does not say: “Bienvenue” in response to “Merci” This is a literal translation of “Welcome” and oftentimes heard in Quebec French, Many people criticize it for being a poor translation. To keep out of the way of any negative perceptions, It is in all probability best to stay clear from this word even if it is rather widespread and tempting. Here are some good number of things from which only one can be chosen in all varieties of French. “De rien” (For nothing) is a short form, a bit informal perhaps, but may be used anywhere. “Je vous en prie” (I beg of you) is an all-purpose form, a bit on the formal side. This is a very polite form. “C’est moi qui vous remercie” (It is I who thanks you) is a bit of a mouthful. Also all-purpose and a tad formal. “Il n’y a pas de quoi” or “Pas de quoi” (There is not one thing to it) is a bit literary and very polite. “Pas de problème” (No problem) is very informal and considered more or less slangy. To be applied with caution, “Ça m’a fait plaisir” or “Cela m’a fait plaisir” (It gave me pleasure) is rather mutual in Quebec and rare in France. “Merci à vous” or “Merci à toi” (Thanks to you) is a bit informal and short. Which ones to choose? In terms of recommendations, you can’t go wrong with “Je vous en prie”, “C’est moi qui vous remercie” and “Il n’y a pas de quoi”. They are all on the very polite side and good for almost all occasions. The others expressions are also rather usable particularly if you want to add a bit of informality. Like some features of spoken language, usage will vary according to the degree of formality. “De rien”, “Merci a toi” and “Pas de quoi” are short and punchy. They are good for fast-moving conversations. The only one that I commend using with caution is “Pas de problème”. I’m not saying it is not to be used. It is just is a bit slangy and best warded off if you are not sure of how to use it well. Note that it is to be employed when you in truth mean “No problem” as in response to “Can I modify my flight?” Just refrain from it as an all-purpose answer to “Merci” unless you feel comfortable doing so. |
