de rien
/də ʁjɛ̃/
In French, "it was nothing" is expressed as de rien.
The phrase de rien is a common way to say "it was nothing" in French, serving as a polite response to show that a favor or a kind act was not a problem.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, de rien means "of nothing", consisting of the preposition de (of) and the pronoun rien (nothing).
Which one should you use?
While de rien is informal, je vous en prie is a more formal and polite way to say "you are welcome" in response to a thank you, whereas je t'en prie is a polite way to say "you are welcome" when speaking to someone you address with tu.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
De rien is common in everyday, informal conversation. For more casual settings, you can use the informal pas de souci (no worries) or pas de problème (no problem). If you need a more formal or polite tone, use il n'y a pas de quoi or je vous en prie.
How do you pronounce it?
/də ʁjɛ̃/
Did you know?
- In Quebec, people often use bienvenue to say 'you are welcome'. In France, this is considered an anglicism and bienvenue is only used to greet someone arriving at a place.
- The word rien in this expression comes from the Latin word rem, which actually means 'a thing'.
- While de rien is the standard informal response, using it with a superior or a stranger in France can sometimes be perceived as too abrupt or slightly dismissive.
Examples in context
- De rien.It was nothing.This example shows how to use de rien as a standalone response.Tatoeba #397490 by Pharamp, translation #24972 by CK
Example conversation
Lucas thanks Manon for helping him carry a heavy box.
- ManonTiens, c'est ici.Here, it's right here.
- LucasMerci beaucoup pour ton aide, Manon.Thank you very much for your help, Manon.
- ManonDe rien, Lucas !It was nothing, Lucas!
- LucasC'est très gentil de ta part.That is very kind of you.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry de rien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, de rien, rien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
