de rien
/də ʁjɛ̃/
When welcome is the reply to thank you, as in you're welcome, French says de rien.
de rien is the standard answer when someone thanks you. It literally means of nothing, close to it was nothing.
Meaning: greeting given upon someone's arrival (intj)
Which one should you use?
Welcome as a greeting to someone who arrives is bienvenue. To welcome a guest is accueillir or souhaiter la bienvenue. Neither of these is used as an answer to thank you.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced /də ʁjɛ̃/. The first word has a soft uh sound and the second ends in a nasal vowel with no n sound at the end.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not answer thanks with bienvenue. It only welcomes someone to a place.
When do people say it?
de rien is fine with friends, in shops and in most everyday situations. In very formal settings some speakers prefer a longer polite reply.
Did you know?
- While de rien is the standard reply to thanks, in Quebec and other French-speaking parts of Canada, you will often hear bienvenue used as a response to 'thank you'. This is a regional influence from English.
- If you want to be extra polite in a formal setting instead of the standard de rien, you might use je vous en prie. This elevates the response from 'it was nothing' to a more elegant 'I beg of you'.
- The phrase de rien traces its roots back to the Latin word 'rem', which means 'thing'. It is a linguistic way of telling someone that the favor they are thanking you for was 'of no thing'.
Examples in context
- « Merci ! » « De rien ! »"Thank you!" "You're welcome!"De rien is the quick reply to a simple thank you.Tatoeba #1142713 by sacredceltic, translation #11136841 by carlosalberto
- « Merci pour ton aide. » « De rien. »"Thank you for your help." "You're welcome."De rien answers thanks for help just as naturally.Tatoeba #507336 by sysko, translation #12258348 by Miktsoanit
- De rien !You're welcome.De rien can stand alone as a complete answer.Tatoeba #1142712 by sacredceltic, translation #403068 by Ramses
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo holds the door open for Emma.
- EmmaMerci beaucoup, Hugo !Thank you very much, Hugo!
- HugoDe rien, Emma.You're welcome, Emma.
- EmmaC'est très gentil de ta part.That is very kind of you.
- HugoDe rien, c'est normal.You're welcome, it's only natural.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry de rien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, de rien, rien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
