merci mille fois
/mɛʁ.si mil fwa/
The English phrase "thanks a million" can be translated into French as merci mille fois or mille mercis.
Meaning: thanks a great many times (intj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| merci mille fois | /mɛʁ.si mil fwa/ |
| mille mercis | /mil mɛʁ.si/ |
Both forms are used to express much stronger gratitude than a simple merci.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase merci mille fois literally translates to "thanks a thousand times", while mille mercis literally translates to "a thousand thanks".
Which one should you use?
The difference between the two forms is structural: merci mille fois uses an adverbial phrase to say "a thousand times", whereas mille mercis uses mille as an adjective modifying the noun mercis.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the form mille mercis, the noun merci must be pluralized to mercis because it follows the number mille.
Did you know?
- The word merci shares a linguistic ancestor with the English word 'mercy', as both derive from the Latin mercēdem meaning 'wages' or 'price'.
- While you might say 'thanks a million' in English, the French versions specifically use 'a thousand' (mille) instead of 'a million'.
Examples in context
- Mille mercis.Thanks a million.This example shows how to use the form mille mercis.Tatoeba #3025804 by gillux, translation #2250081 by CK
- Merci mille fois pour ton aide précieuse.Thanks a million for your precious help.
- Tu m'as sauvé la mise, merci mille fois !You saved my skin, thanks a million!
Example conversation
Chloé helped Nathan find his lost keys.
- NathanJe les ai retrouvées enfin, merci mille fois, Chloé !I finally found them, thanks a million, Chloé!
- ChloéDe rien, Nathan, je suis contente pour toi.You're welcome, Nathan, I'm happy for you.
- NathanTu es vraiment une amie géniale.You are truly a great friend.
- ChloéC'est normal, on est là l'un pour l'autre.It's normal, we are there for each other.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thanks a million” translations and entries merci mille fois, mille mercis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fois, merci, merci mille fois, mille, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
