Learn to say “thank you” in Spanish on any occasion
One of the very first pieces of vocabulary you’ll learn in almost any language is the word or words for “thank you”, and that’s certainly the case when studying Spanish too. Long before being able to speak Spanish fluently, you’ll want to at least be able to express gratitude. And, you’ll learn very early on that “gracias” is the word for “thank you” in Spanish language.
However, expressing gratitude can be about a lot more than just one word. There are different and more sophisticated or natural ways to thank somebody for something, and understanding the right way to say “thank you” can help you build stronger relationships and show your appreciation even more authentically and appropriately.
With that in mind, in this post we’re going to explore different ways to say “thanks” in Spanish, looking at informal and formal expressions, pronunciations, regional differences and how to say “you’re welcome”.
If you’re at the very beginning of your Spanish language-learning journey, you probably want to pick up as much casual and conversational vocabulary as possible. And, right after learning the basics of saying “hi” in Spanish, knowing what is Spanish for “thank you” is probably next. Here, we’ll list a few very common and very casual words or short phrases for how to say “thanks” in Spanish, with the pronunciation in parenthesis:
This is the one-word and simplest way to express gratitude in Spanish and it is neither formal nor informal, so can perfectly be used in every setting or context.
The addition here of “muchas” makes this “many thanks” or “thanks a lot”. This is also very common, just slightly more empathic than a simple “gracias”.
By adding the suffix of “ísimas”, this is adding an extra level of gratitude to the “muchas gracias” phrase. It means the same thing and is also common in casual situations, but would only be used when the gesture is truly worth being very thankful for.
This literally translates into English as “a thousand thanks”, which might seem a little excessive in English but which is a perfectly normal and common way to informally say “thank you very much” in Spanish.
This phrase means “thanks for everything” and, just like the English equivalent, it can be used if you’re thanking someone for several things at once, or if you’re very grateful in general and don’t want to get into the specifics.
This phrase translates to “I appreciate it” and is that little bit more heartfelt than a simple “gracias”.
How do you say “thank you” in Spanish if you find yourself in more formal settings? This might be a job interview, a work email or an interaction with a stranger, and maybe you want to express gratitude in an extra polite way. Well, here come a few examples of what is Spanish for “thank you” in formal situations:
Again, a simple “gracias” will always be appreciated. As mentioned above, it is neither formal nor informal, so can be used in formal situations too, such as at the end of emails.
This means the exact same as “te lo agradezco” above, but “te” is replaced for the more formal “se”.
This is another way of expressing gratitude and is one that is more commonly used in formal situations. In this case, men would use “agradecido” and women “agradecida”.
This is a fairly literal translation from the English equivalent and is a phrase that would more commonly be used in formal situations than informal.
Of course, this phrase is quite strong, so should only be used in situations where you are indeed very very grateful. But, it does add a level of sophistication that can work well in formal situations.
You might be wondering how do you say thanks in Spanish depending on the country. Will you learn a different way of saying “thanks” in the Spanish classes Madrid offers vs the Spanish classes of Buenos Aires? How do Mexicans say “thanks”? Is “gracias” the same in all of Latin America?
Well, “gracias” is universal and it is used almost just as commonly in any Spanish-speaking country. That said, there are a few subtle differences that might be interesting to keep in mind.
For example, Latin Americans tend to use “mil gracias” more frequently than they do in Spain, and you might even hear “un millón de gracias”, an even more emphatic version which means “a million thanks”. Another difference to keep in mind is that the third person formal tenses are used more often in Latin America, so somebody might say “se lo agradezco” even in an informal setting and to somebody with whom a Spaniard would use “te”.
Just as important as knowing how to say “thanks” in Spanish is knowing how to respond when somebody is thanking you. So, here are three common ways to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish.
This is the most common way to say “you’re welcome”, and it almost literally translates as “it was nothing”. This is said in both informal and formal contexts.
This phrase is a little more informal but also widely used and is an alternative way of expressing the same sentiment as “de nada”.
Another response when being thanked could be “con gusto”, which is a way of saying you were happy to help.
So, there you have it! You now know what is Spanish for “thank you”, what to say instead of “gracias” if you’re looking to mix it up, and how to respond with “you’re welcome”.
