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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 |
Related lessons
- Different ways to say "thank you" in French
- Merci de vs merci pour
- Politeness
- Tu vs vous
- De (preposition)
- Rien and other negative pronouns
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