What does it mean word for word?
The phrase matches the English word for word, with votre as the word for your before each noun.
Which one should you use?
In a formal presentation, Merci de m'avoir écouté, thank you for listening to me, is a common and slightly more natural alternative. Je vous remercie pour le temps et l'attention que vous m'avez accordés. is a fuller, more formal way to thank someone for the time and attention they gave you.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Merci pour votre temps et votre attention is formal. With friends or peers, Merci pour ton temps et ton attention uses the familiar ton instead of votre. To one person you know well, you can also say Merci de m'avoir accordé ton temps et ton attention.
How does it change in a sentence?
Merci de votre temps et de votre attention, with de instead of pour, is also correct and often considered slightly more elegant in formal French.
Did you know?
- The word merci has a surprisingly commercial origin, as it stems from the Latin word mercēdem, meaning 'wages', 'fee', or 'price'.
- While English speakers usually 'give' time, a very formal French way to express this is to use the verb accorder, which literally means 'to grant' or 'to bestow'.
- In formal French, the word merci is often replaced by the full phrase je vous remercie to signal a higher level of respect than a simple 'thank you'.
Example conversation
Léa has just finished a formal presentation in a meeting.
- LéaMerci pour votre temps et votre attention.Thank you for your time and attention.
- NathanC'était une excellente présentation, Léa.It was an excellent presentation, Léa.
- LéaMerci beaucoup, Nathan.Thank you very much, Nathan.
- NathanDe rien, à bientôt.You're welcome, see you soon.
