De rien


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French Expression

Meaning	it was nothing
Literally	of nothing
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[deu ryeh(n)]
IPA		[də ʁjɛ̃]

Usage notes: One of the first things taught in French class is polite vocabulary like "thank you" and "you’re welcome," and for some reason, the latter is usually de rien.

Par exemple…

– Merci pour votre assistance.		– Thank you for your help.
– De rien.		– It was nothing.

Texting abbreviation: 2 ri 1

However, de rien is neither the best nor the most common French response to merci. "It was nothing" brushes off the thanks, but the French tend to be more gracious about acknowledging gratitude, instead using one of these expressions:

		Literally
je vous en prie	you are welcome	I beg of you
merci à vous	thank you	(my) thanks to you
c’est moi qui vous remercie c’est moi	no, thank you	it is I who thanks you it is I

Informal responses

		Literally
il n’y a pas de quoi ya pas de quoi pas de quoi	don’t mention it	there’s no need
je t’en prie	you’re welcome	I beg of you
merci à toi	thank you	(my) thanks to you
pas de problème	no problem
pas de souci pas de soucis	no worries
t’inquiète [ne t’inquiète pas]	no worries	don’t worry

Regional / Country-specific responses

		Where?	Literally
avec plaisir	my pleasure	South of France	with pleasure
bienvenue	you’re welcome	Canada	welcome
ça me fait plaisir	my pleasure	Canada	it gives me pleasure
service	(at your) service	Switzerland	service
s’il vous plaît	you’re welcome	Belgium	please