Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| merci beaucoup | /mɛʁ.si bo.ku/ |
| merci mille fois | /mɛʁ.si mil fwa/ |
| merci infiniment | |
| merci bien | /mɛʁ.si bjɛ̃/ |
| mille mercis | /mil mɛʁ.si/ |
| grand merci |
These expressions are used to convey a level of gratitude greater than a simple 'thank you'. When you want to thank someone for a specific object or noun, use the structure merci beaucoup pour [noun].
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase merci mille fois literally translates to 'thank you a thousand times', while merci infiniment means 'thank you infinitely'.
Which one should you use?
While merci bien can mean 'thank you very much', be aware that in informal speech it is often used sarcastically to mean 'thanks a lot', implying the opposite of gratitude. Merci mille fois is an informal way to say 'thanks a thousand times'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec French, the expression merci en masse is used to mean 'thanks a lot'. In Belgian French, one might hear the phrase merci bien fort.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase mille mercis, the word merci is pluralized to mercis because it functions as a noun meaning 'thanks'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /mɛʁ.si bo.ku/ and contains 3 syllables.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Merci mille fois !Thank you very much!This example shows a way to say 'thank you very much!' using merci mille fois.Tatoeba #6780343 by Micsmithel, translation #1564 by adjusting
- Merci beaucoup pour tout.Thank you very much for everything.Tatoeba #1370613 by Danquebec, translation #65805 by CK
- Merci beaucoup de m'inviter.Thank you very much for inviting me.Tatoeba #914702 by sacredceltic, translation #264002 by CK
- Je tiens à vous remercier chaleureusement pour votre aide précieuse.I would like to warmly thank you for your valuable help.
- Merci mille fois d'être venu m'aider à déménager !Thanks a thousand times for coming to help me move!
- 41 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma is receiving a bouquet of flowers from Lucas.
- EmmaMerci beaucoup, Lucas !Thank you very much, Lucas!
- LucasDe rien, Emma.You're welcome, Emma.
- EmmaElles sont magnifiques.They are magnificent.
- LucasJe suis ravi qu'elles te plaisent.I am glad you like them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you very much” translations and entries merci beaucoup, merci mille fois, merci bien, mille mercis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beaucoup, bien, fois, infiniment, merci, merci mille fois, mille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
