merci de me l'avoir dit
The English phrase "thank you for telling me about it" is translated into French as merci de me l'avoir dit.
This phrase is used to express gratitude to someone for providing specific information. You can also use merci de m'en avoir parlé, which utilizes the verb parler (to speak/talk about) to convey the same meaning.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, merci de me l'avoir dit breaks down as "thanks for to me it to have said".
Which one should you use?
While both merci de and merci pour can translate to "thank you for", the construction merci de is the standard way to express thanks before an infinitive verb.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the past infinitive avoir dit because the action of telling is completed.
Did you know?
- The word merci does not actually originate from a concept of gratitude, but from the Latin word for 'wages' or 'price'.
- While you are saying 'thank you', the root of merci is the same as the English word 'mercy', which originally shared a connection to the idea of a legal plea or ransom.
- In some historical French dialects, the pronoun 'me' used in this phrase might have been expressed as 'mi', a form preserved from the Latin 'mihi'.
Examples in context
- Merci de me l'avoir dit, j'apprécie beaucoup.Thank you for telling me about it, I really appreciate it.
- C'est gentil, merci de me l'avoir dit.That's kind, thank you for telling me about it.
- Je ne savais pas, merci de me l'avoir dit.I didn't know, thank you for telling me about it.
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are discussing a change in their meeting schedule.
- GabrielLe rendez-vous a été déplacé à demain.The meeting has been moved to tomorrow.
- ChloéAh bon ? Merci de me l'avoir dit.Oh really? Thank you for telling me about it.
- GabrielDe rien, Chloé.You're welcome, Chloé.
- ChloéÀ demain alors, Gabriel.See you tomorrow then, Gabriel.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, dit, me, merci, CC BY-SA 4.0.
