merci pour votre aide
/mɛʁ.si puʁ vɔ.tʁ‿ɛd/
The French phrase for "thank you for your help" is merci pour votre aide.
This is a polite expression used to show gratitude to someone who has assisted you.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of merci (thanks), pour (for), votre (your – formal/plural) and aide (help).
Which one should you use?
Use merci pour ton aide instead of merci pour votre aide when speaking to a friend, family member or someone you address as tu.
How does it change in a sentence?
While pour is common, using de in merci de votre aide is considered slightly more elegant or formal in written French.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɛʁ.si puʁ vɔ.tʁ‿ɛd/
When do people say it?
A common formal way to respond to merci pour votre aide is Je vous en prie. The most common casual response to this expression is De rien. Je t'en prie is an informal way to say You're welcome (in response to "thank you").
Did you know?
- The phrase Je vous en prie is a highly polite way to say 'You are welcome', but it literally translates to 'I pray you of it'.
- The word merci shares its roots with the English word 'mercy', as both stems from the Latin 'mercedem', which originally referred to a reward or a wage.
- The response De rien literally translates to 'of nothing', implying that the help provided was so small it does not even exist as a debt.
Examples in context
- Merci pour votre aide.Thank you for your help.Tatoeba #838126 by sacredceltic, translation #462516 by lukaszpp
- « Merci pour votre aide. » « Ce n'était rien. »"Thank you for your help." "You're welcome."Tatoeba #3485364 by Lulantis, translation #12258348 by Miktsoanit
- Je tenais à vous remercier personnellement pour votre précieuse aide lors de notre dernière réunion. Grâce à vous, nous avons pu mener à bien le projet.I wanted to personally thank you for your valuable assistance during our last meeting. Thanks to you, we were able to successfully complete the project.
- Je vous suis profondément reconnaissant(e) de m'avoir apporté tant de soutien lors de cette période difficile. Votre aide a été d'une importance capitale.I am deeply grateful to you for providing me with so much support during this difficult time. Your assistance has been crucial.
- Tu m'as été d'une grande aideYou've been a great help to me
- Je te suis tellement reconnaissant(e) d'avoir pris le temps de m'aider avec mes devoirs. Tu es vraiment génial(e)!I am so grateful to you for taking the time to help me with my homework. You're truly amazing!
- Merci pour votre aide avec ce dossier.Thank you for your help with this file.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Léa is leaving an office after Hugo helped her with a document.
- LéaC'est terminé. Merci pour votre aide, Hugo.It is finished. Thank you for your help, Hugo.
- HugoJe vous en prie, Léa.You are very welcome, Léa.
- LéaC'était vraiment très gentil.That was really very kind.
- HugoAvec plaisir, bonne journée !My pleasure, have a nice day!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry merci pour votre aide, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aide, merci, pour, votre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
