Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| gracias | /ˈɡɾaθjas/ [ˈɡɾa.θjas] /ˈɡɾasjas/ [ˈɡɾa.sjas] (Latin America, Philippines) |
| muchas gracias | /ˌmut͡ʃas ˈɡɾaθjas/ /ˌmut͡ʃas ˈɡɾasjas/ |
gracias is the standard, widely-used way to say "thank you" in Spanish. You can increase the intensity of your gratitude by using muchas gracias for "thank you very much" or mil gracias to say "a thousand thanks".
Which one should you use?
While gracias is the standard expression, muchas gracias is a stronger and more emphatic version used to convey "thank you very much".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may hear the phrase muchas gracias, de corazón to mean "thank you very much, from the heart".
How does it change in a sentence?
When you want to express gratitude for a specific thing or action, use the preposition por after gracias (for example, gracias por…).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. It is pronounced /ˈɡɾaθjas/.
When do people say it?
When someone says gracias to you, the most common way to respond is de nada, which means "you're welcome".
Did you know?
- While 'thank you' is usually a standalone sentiment, in Spanish, you can use the word gracia to mean 'joke' or 'charm', meaning a 'thankful' person and a 'funny' person share the same root word.
- Depending on the region, the pronunciation of the 'c' in gracias changes from a 'th' sound in most of Spain to an 's' sound in Latin America.
- In many Latin American countries, instead of just saying de nada, you might hear no hay de qué, which translates literally to 'there is nothing of which [to be thankful]'.
Examples in context
- No gracias, ya comí.No, thank you. I already ate.This sentence shows how to use gracias to decline an offer.Tatoeba #5058128 by don_ramon, translation #5057521 by AlanF_US
- Bien, gracias. ¿Y tú?Fine, thank you. And you?This sentence demonstrates using gracias as a response to a question about how you are.Tatoeba #532246 by cueyayotl, translation #239430 by sundown
- Gracias por la ayuda.Thank you for the help.This sentence illustrates the grammar rule of using gracias por to thank someone for a specific thing.Tatoeba #1901472 by marcelostockle, translation #2646007 by CK
- 328 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo is handing María a cup of coffee in an office.
- MateoAquí tienes tu café, María.Here is your coffee, María.
- MaríaMuchas gracias, Mateo.Thank you very much, Mateo.
- MateoDe nada.You're welcome.
- MaríaEres muy amable.You are very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations and entries gracias, muchas gracias, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
