Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| danke | [ˈdaŋkə] (narrow) | |
| habe vielen Dank | ||
| haben Sie vielen Dank | formal | |
| ich danke schön | ||
| ich danke sehr | ||
| ich sage Dank | /ɪç ˈzaː.ɡə daŋk/ (word by word) | |
| danke schön | [ˈdaŋkə ʃøːn] (narrow) | |
| danke sehr | ||
| vielen Dank | ||
| danksche | ||
| dankche | Alemannic German | |
| merci | /mɛʁˈsiː/ /ˈmɛʁ.si/ (Switzerland) |
Alemannic German |
| fergälts Got | Alemannic German | |
| vrattrus Got | Alemannic German | |
| wol vergelzgott | Alemannic German |
The primary way to express gratitude is through the word danke. You can increase the level of politeness or emphasis by using variations like danke schön, danke sehr or vielen Dank. When you want to specify the reason for your gratitude, use the construction danke für… followed by an object in the accusative case.
Which one should you use?
While danke is a simple way to say "thanks", vielen Dank means "many thanks" and is slightly more emphatic and formal. For an even higher level of politeness, you can use danke sehr or the phrase vielen herzlichen Dank.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Danke is an informal way to say "thanks". For formal situations, you can use vielen Dank to mean "many thanks" or haben Sie vielen Dank, which is a highly formal expression typically used in very polite speech or written correspondence. The phrase ich danke Ihnen is also a formal way to say "I thank you".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austrian German, the word merci is used to mean "thank you". Within Alemannic-German, you may also encounter dankche, danksche or merci.
How does it change in a sentence?
When specifying what you are thankful for using danke für…, the object must be in the accusative case. If you are thanking a group of people informally, you can say danke euch to mean "thanks to you all".
When do people say it?
The standard response to danke is bitte or bitte sehr, which means "you're welcome".
Did you know?
- In some contexts, saying danke while refusing an offer can be interpreted as 'no thank you' without needing the word 'no'.
- The word bitte, used as the standard response to danke, also functions as the word for 'please'.
- The archaic-sounding phrases fergälts Got or wol vergelzgott are regional ways of saying 'may God reward you' as a form of thanks.
Examples in context
- Danke für den Rat!Thank you for the advice.This sentence shows how to use danke to express thanks for advice.Tatoeba #1836215 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #4474852 by AlanF_US
- Danke für den Tee!Thank you for the tea.This sentence shows how to use danke to express thanks for tea.Tatoeba #3290170 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #2646535 by CK
- Danke für das Buch.Thank you for the book.This sentence shows how to use danke to express thanks for a book.Tatoeba #4068145 by Esperantostern, translation #2646009 by CK
- 936 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Sarah are in a kitchen.
- JulianHier ist dein Kaffee.Here is your coffee.
- SarahDanke, Julian!Thank you, Julian!
- JulianGerne geschehen.You're welcome.
- SarahEr schmeckt sehr gut.It tastes very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations and entries danke, danke schön, vielen Dank, merci, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ich, Sage, Dank) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
