How to Say Thank You in German

The everyday basics

• Danke (DAHN-kuh) — "thanks" / "thank you." Works everywhere, casual or slightly formal.
• Danke schön (DAHN-kuh shurn) — "thank you very much," a warmer, slightly more polished version of Danke, appropriate almost anywhere.
• Danke sehr (DAHN-kuh zair) — very similar to Danke schön, "thank you so much," used interchangeably in most regions.
• Vielen Dank (FEE-len dahnk) — "many thanks" / "thank you very much," commonly used in both speech and writing, including formal emails.

Going further — extra emphasis

• Tausend Dank (TOW-zent dahnk) — literally "a thousand thanks," used when you're genuinely very grateful.
• Herzlichen Dank (HAIRTS-lick-en dahnk) — "heartfelt thanks," warm and sincere, common in written thank-you notes and formal letters.
• Ich danke Ihnen sehr — "I thank you very much" (formal, using "Ihnen" for "Sie"), appropriate for a boss, an official, or someone you don't know well.
• Ich danke dir — the informal version, "I thank you," used with friends or family for a slightly more personal, heartfelt thanks than a plain Danke.

How to reply when someone thanks you

Just as important as saying thank you is knowing how to respond to it — this trips up a lot of learners because German, unlike English, has one all-purpose word that means both "please" and "you're welcome."

• Bitte (BIT-tuh) — "you're welcome" (also means "please" depending on context). The simplest, most common reply.
• Bitte schön / Bitte sehr — a slightly more polished "you're very welcome."
• Gerne (GAIR-nuh) — "gladly" / "my pleasure," a warm, common alternative to Bitte, especially in southern Germany and Austria.
• Kein Problem (kine pro-BLAYM) — "no problem," casual and friendly, same tone as in English.
• Keine Ursache — literally "no cause (for thanks)," a slightly more formal "don't mention it."

Example conversation

A: "Danke schön für deine Hilfe!" (Thank you so much for your help!)
B: "Gerne, kein Problem!" (My pleasure, no problem!)

Written thank-yous

In emails and letters, Germans often close with a polite thank-you phrase before the sign-off — for example, "Vielen Dank im Voraus" ("thank you in advance") when making a request, or "Herzlichen Dank für Ihre Mühe" ("many thanks for your effort") in more formal correspondence. Getting these everyday courtesy phrases right — with correct pronunciation — is part of what you'll practice from your very first class in our German A1 course, and you can drill them anytime with our free German vocabulary trainer.