What does it mean word for word?
The phrase gracias por la recomendación literally translates to "thanks for the recommendation".
Which one should you use?
The noun-based gracias por la recomendación is a standard way to thank someone for the act of referring, whereas using a verb like recomendar focuses more on the action itself.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In a formal business context, using the verb agradecer (to appreciate/thank) is more professional than the standard gracias. For example, you might say le agradezco la recomendación to mean "I appreciate the recommendation".
How does it change in a sentence?
If you want to thank someone specifically for recommending *you* (the speaker), you use the verbal form gracias por recomendarme. If you are thanking someone for recommending a specific service or product, you can use the verbal form gracias por recomendarlo.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɾaθjas poɾ la ɾekomendaθjon/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a professional referral is often based on confianza or mutual trust. Because of this, gracias por la recomendación can be seen as a way of acknowledging a shared social bond rather than just a business transaction.
- The root of recomendación comes from the Latin mandō, meaning 'to entrust'. This reveals that referring someone is historically viewed as entrustment of a person's character to another.
- In some professional settings, responding to a referral with only gracias can feel too abrupt. It is common to pair gracias por la recomendación with a phrase like estoy a su disposición to signal a readiness to serve the new client.
Examples in context
- ¡Muchas gracias por la recomendación!Thank you very much for the referral!
- Le agradezco su confianza al recomendarme.I thank you for your trust in recommending me.
- ¡Muchas gracias por recomendarme!Thank you so much for referring me!
- Te agradezco un montón por hacerme esta recomendación.I really appreciate you making this referral for me.
- Muchísimas gracias por creer en mí y recomendarme.Thank you so much for believing in me and referring me.
- Gracias por la recomendación del restaurante.Thank you for the restaurant recommendation.
- Muchas gracias por la recomendación de este hotel.Many thanks for the recommendation of this hotel.
- Gracias por la recomendación, el servicio fue excelente.Thank you for the recommendation, the service was excellent.
Example conversation
Mateo and Sofía are talking about a doctor Sofía suggested.
- MateoSofía, el doctor es muy bueno.Sofía, the doctor is very good.
- SofíaMe alegra mucho saberlo.I am very happy to know that.
- MateoGracias por la recomendación.Thank you for the recommendation.
- SofíaDe nada, Mateo.You're welcome, Mateo.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gracias, la, por, recomendación, CC BY-SA 4.0.
