merci de t'en soucier
To say thank you for caring in French, use merci de t'en soucier. It thanks someone you know well for showing concern about you or your situation.
Use it when a friend or relative has asked how you are or shown interest in a problem you are facing.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is made of merci de, meaning thanks for, t'en, which combines you with about it and soucier, meaning to care or to worry.
Which one should you use?
Merci de te préoccuper de moi. means thank you for caring about me and focuses on care for you as a person. Un grand merci pour ta bienveillance. means a big thank you for your kindness. In formal speech or writing, Je tiens à vous remercier pour votre bienveillance. means I want to thank you for your kindness. Votre sollicitude a été précieuse. Merci. means your concern has been precious, thank you and is also formal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun changes with the person you address: t'en for one person you know well and vous en for polite or plural use.
Did you know?
- The word merci originally had nothing to do with gratitude, as it stems from the Latin mercēdem meaning 'wages' or 'price'.
- The word sollicitude used in formal thanks refers to a specific type of attentive care that is more intense than general kindness.
- In French, there is a distinction between soucier, which relates to worry and concern, and bienveillance, which describes a benevolent and kind disposition.
Examples in context
- Je ne vais pas bien, mais merci de t'en soucier.I'm not doing well, but thank you for caring.
- Merci de t'en soucier, c'est gentil.Thank you for caring, that's kind.
- Je traverse un moment difficile, merci de t'en soucier.I am going through a hard time, thank you for caring.
Example conversation
Léa is telling Hugo how she feels after a long day.
- LéaJe suis un peu fatiguée aujourd'hui.I am a little tired today.
- HugoEst-ce que tout va bien pour toi ?Is everything okay with you?
- LéaOui, merci de t'en soucier, Hugo.Yes, thank you for caring, Hugo.
- HugoDe rien, je suis là pour toi.You're welcome, I'm here for you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, merci, soucier, CC BY-SA 4.0.
