merci d'avance
To say thanks in advance in French, use merci d'avance. It is the usual way to thank someone before they help you, common at the end of emails and requests.
Use it when you ask for help, information or suggestions and want to thank the person before they reply.
Meaning: thanks in advance (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is made of merci, meaning thanks and d'avance, meaning in advance or ahead of time.
Which one should you use?
Je vous remercie par avance means I thank you in advance and is more formal. Je te remercie d'avance says the same to someone you know well. Je vous suis reconnaissant(e) d'avance means I am grateful to you in advance.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
merci d'avance suits most situations, including formal ones. Je vous remercie par avance is a more formal alternative often used in professional correspondence.
Did you know?
- The word merci shares an ancient root with the word for 'mercenary'. It originally stems from the Latin mercēdem, which referred to a 'payment' or 'wages' rather than a feeling of gratitude.
- While merci d'avance is common, some French people find it presumptuous because it implies the recipient has no choice but to agree to the request.
- In older French literature, merci was used to plead for 'mercy' or 'clemency' from a superior rather than to express gratitude.
Examples in context
- Merci d'avance pour ton soutien.Thanks in advance for your support.Merci d'avance is followed by pour and the thing you expect, here support.Tatoeba #10487855 by felix63, translation #10463978 by CK
- Merci d'avance pour vos suggestions !Thanks in advance for your suggestions.With vos, the phrase speaks politely to one person or to several people.Tatoeba #11260501 by felix63, translation #11260514 by DJ_Saidez
- Merci d'avance.Thanks in advance.Merci d'avance. can stand alone as a complete closing line.Tatoeba #128975 by sacredceltic, translation #273600 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo asks Manon to send him a file via email.
- HugoManon, peux-tu m'envoyer le dossier ?Manon, can you send me the file?
- ManonOui, je fais ça tout de suite.Yes, I will do that right away.
- HugoMerci d'avance, tu es super.Thanks in advance, you are great.
- ManonDe rien, Hugo !You're welcome, Hugo!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thanks in advance” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merci, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
