Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| عَفْوًا | ʕafwan |
| لَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِب | lā šukra ʕalā wājib |
These phrases are used as polite reactions when someone thanks you. While عَفْوًا is the standard response, you can also use لَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِب to emphasize that helping was an obligation or a pleasure or use the formal phrase إنه من دواعي سروري أن to say "It's my pleasure to…" in formal contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase لَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِب literally translates to "no thanks upon a duty", which implies that the assistance you provided was a duty and therefore does not require thanks.
Which one should you use?
عَفْوًا is the standard, concise response to "thank you". In contrast, لَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِب is a more formal and emphatic way to say "my pleasure" or "it was my duty". Additionally, note that عَفْوًا is also the most common way to say "excuse me" in many Arabic dialects.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
عَفْوًا is a versatile, neutral-to-formal response that is suitable for use with both strangers and acquaintances. لَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِب is a more formal option used when you want to show extra politeness. For very formal settings, the phrase إنه من دواعي سروري أن can be used to mean "It's my pleasure to…"
How do you pronounce it?
ʕafwan
Did you know?
- In many Arabic speaking cultures, a verbal response like عَفْوًا is often accompanied by placing the right hand over the heart to show sincerity and warmth.
- The word عَفْوًا comes from a root meaning 'to forgive' or 'to erase'. When you say it as 'my pleasure', you are essentially telling the other person that the debt of their gratitude is forgiven.
- In some Levantine dialects, instead of using the standard عَفْوًا, people might use the word تِكْرَم (tikram) to mean 'you are welcome' or 'it is my pleasure'.
Examples in context
- عَفْوًا، أَنَا فِي الْخِدْمَةِ.afwan, ana fil-khidma.My pleasure, I am at your service.
- عَفْوًا، لَا تَقْلَقْ.afwan, la taqlaq.My pleasure, don't worry.
- عَفْوًا، هَذَا وَاجِبِي.afwan, hadha wajibi.My pleasure, it is my duty.
Example conversation
Youssef thanks Maryam for helping him with some files at work.
- يوسف Youssefشُكْرًا جَزِيلًا يَا مَرْيَمُ عَلَى الْمُسَاعَدَةِ.shukran jazilan ya Maryam ala al-musa'ada.Thank you very much, Maryam, for the help.
- مريم Maryamعَفْوًا يَا يُوسُفُ، لَا شُكْرَ عَلَى وَاجِبٍ.afwan ya Youssef, la shukra ala wajib.My pleasure, Youssef, it was my duty.
- يوسف Youssefأَنْتِ دَائِمًا رَائِعَةٌ.anti da'iman ra'i'a.You are always wonderful.
- مريم Maryamهَذَا لَطِيفٌ مِنْكَ.hadha latif mink.That is kind of you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “my pleasure” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
