merci pour votre écoute
The English phrase "thanks for listening" is translated into French as merci pour votre écoute.
This phrase is a polite way to conclude a speech or presentation by thanking the audience for the act of listening to you.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of merci (thanks), pour (for), votre (your) and écoute (listening/hearing).
Which one should you use?
While merci pour votre écoute focuses specifically on the act of listening, merci de votre attention is a more common and slightly more formal way to conclude a presentation by thanking the audience for their attention.
Did you know?
- In French, l'écoute is not just the act of hearing, but is the technical term used for 'wiretapping' or 'eavesdropping' by intelligence services.
- The root of écoute can be traced back to the Old Norse word skaut, meaning 'corner' or 'lap' of a garment.
- While merci is used for 'thanks' today, in Old French it was often used in the phrase à merci, meaning to be at the 'mercy' of a conqueror.
Examples in context
- Merci de m'avoir écouté(e).Thank you for listening to me.
- Je tiens à vous remercier sincèrement pour votre écoute bienveillante.I would like to sincerely thank you for your kind and attentive listening.
- Merci à tous d'avoir écouté ma présentationThanks to everyone for listening to my presentation
- Je vous remercie infiniment d'avoir pris le temps de m'écouterI thank you immensely for taking the time to listen to me
- Merci pour votre écoute et bonne journée.Thanks for listening and have a good day.
Example conversation
Gabriel finishes a project presentation in front of Chloé.
- GabrielC'est tout pour aujourd'hui, merci pour votre écoute.That is all for today, thanks for listening.
- ChloéC'était très intéressant, Gabriel !It was very interesting, Gabriel!
- GabrielJe suis ravi que cela vous ait plu.I am glad that you liked it.
- ChloéBravo pour ton travail.Well done on your work.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merci, pour, votre, écoute, CC BY-SA 4.0.
