Thank You

5 Ways to Say “Thank You” in Persian

Getting Started with Language Learning, Persian, Thank You / moulham

Persian gratitude expressions reflect warmth, respect, and hospitality. Learn the most commonly used phrases and when to use them.

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Mostly used in formal settings with roots dating back to ancient Persia (before the Arabic influence over the Persian language circa 600s AD), the term Sepās-gozāram (سپاسگزارم) is used to say “I am grateful”.

Want to impress? Add kheili (خیلی) meaning “very” before sepās-gozāram to emphasize your gratitude. In semi-casual settings, you can shorten the phrase to sepās (سپاس).

2. Mersi (مرسی) or Merci

Looking for a more colloquial term? You can use the French loan word, Merci – pronounced “mer-see” with a rolled r. It is an informal term which is used commonly within Farsi-speaking communities. As a response, you may hear khahesh mikonam (خواهش می‌کنم) meaning “you’re welcome”.

**3. Daste shomā dard nakone (دست شما درد نکنه)**

This phrase literally means “may your hand not hurt”. You can use it to express gratitude when receiving a gift*, any form of assistance from someone, or even when being served a nice meal!

Shoma (شما) is a formal pronoun for “you” (similar to the French polite form “vous”). Make this phrase informal by taking it off and tweaking the first word: Dastet dard nakone (دستت درد نکنه).

*It comes particularly handy if you happen to give/receive our Persian Gift of Conversation to/from a loved one this holiday season 😉

**4. Kheili lotf dārid (خیلی لطف دارید)**

Remember “kheili” (خیلی, very)? This phrase literally translates to “you have much kindness” or “that’s very kind of you”. This can be used when receiving compliments, gifts, or even declining favors kindly and respectfully.

**5. Ghorbāne shomā (قربان شما )**

Literally meaning “your sacrifice”, this expression is an example of Persian taarof, or Iranian etiquette, and a sign of politeness. When someone compliments you, instead of saying “thank you” to accept the compliment, it is more common to display modesty and deny the compliment. This is where ghorbāne shomā comes in. It is used to display humility and to acknowledge and show appreciation for the sacrifice of the other.

For a more informal use, replace the formal shoma (شما) with ghorboone to (قربون تو) or ghorboonet (قربونت).

As in Arabic, these translations can come across as quite dramatic; however, they reflect the beauty of the Persian language (and culture)!

Lastly, remember “mamnoun” (ممنون) from our Arabic blog? Persians use it, too! If you’re fascinated by the links between Arabic and Persian, check this out: the Persian words tashakkur (تشکر) and motashakkeram (متشکرم) come from the Arabic root “sh-k-r”, meaning “to thank” – exactly like shukran (شكراً)!

Practice these phrases and learn more about the Persian language and culture with NaTakallam’s language partners this holiday season!

Book a one-on-one Persian language session here. Or give our Gift of Conversation to a Persian-learning friend!

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5 Ways to Say “Thank You” in French

French, Getting Started with Language Learning, Thank You / moulham

Bonjour (hello)! Rounding up our “thank you” series, this week’s blog explores 5 different ways of saying “thank you” in French.

If you’re just tuning in, check out our previous posts on how to express gratitude in Spanish, Arabic and Persian.

**1. Merci (mekh*-see)**

Merci is the most common way to say “thank you” in French. The response you may hear is de rien, which literally translates to “from nothing”, meaning “you’re welcome”. You might also hear avec plaisir which means “with pleasure”.

Fun fact: merci is also used commonly in French-speaking countries across the MENA region as well as in Farsi-speaking countries!

* The letter “r” in a French word is pronounced as a soft version of the Arabic “kh”, like in the word “Khaled”.

**2. Merci infiniment (mekh-see an-fee-nee-man)**

You can combine merci with adverbs such as beaucoup, mille fois, infiniment to form expressions such as merci beaucoup (thank you very much), merci bien (thanks a lot), merci mille fois (thank you a thousand times) and the strongest, merci infiniment translating to “thanks infinitely”.

3. C’est très gentil à toi/vous (seh tkheh jan-tee a twa/voo)

In more formal settings, one might say “that’s very kind of you”. It generally follows merci and can be used when someone does you a favor.

A useful tip: if you’re thanking an elder, or in a situation that requires you to use the polite form, use the formal counterpart of toi which is vous, applicable to both men and women, to a single person or to a group of people: “C’est très gentil à vous!”

**4. Merci de tout coeur (mekh-see dah tu ker)**

A heartfelt phrase meaning “thank you with all my heart”. It’s also sometimes used with the verb j’espère, to express hope. For example: J’espère de tout coeur que tu vas réussir cet examen, meaning “I hope with all my heart that you’ll pass this exam”.

5. Cimer (see-mekh)
Spice up the standard merci by using its inverse, “cimer”. Caution: this word is French slang, also known as “verlan”, for “thanks” and used mostly in conversations in younger crowds.

These are 5 ways to express gratitude in French. This holiday season, level up your language skills with one of NaTakallam’s native language partners or Gift a Conversation to your French-learning friends! À bientôt!

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5 Surprising Ways to Say “Thank You” in Spanish

Getting Started with Language Learning, Spanish, Thank You / moulham

Want to go beyond the blasé gracias? Here are some other ways to thank someone in Spanish! For curious cats out there, we’ve also written ways to say thank you in French, Persian, and Arabic.

In this article, you’ll learn the nuances of different ways to say thank you in Spanish. Whether you’re learning when to use eres un sol or going with the classic gracias, you can learn more greetings and conversational starters with our Spanish language partners.

1. Gracias (grah-see-ahs)

The most common way to say “thank you” in Spanish can be used anywhere and anytime: from receiving your “café con leche” at the cafe or thanking someone for holding the door open! You can also add “muchas” in front of the word to give “many” thanks to someone throughout all Spanish speaking countries.

A simple response to this would be “de nada” meaning, you’re welcome, or quite literally “from nothing”

2. (Estoy) Muy agradecido/a (ehs-toy muy agra-de-sido/a)

This is a lovely way to say “(I’m) very grateful for you” – a politer version of “thank you so much”. The adjective “agradecido” is translated as “grateful”, and preceding it with “Estoy muy…” will earn you bonus points! Remember to modify masculine “agradecido” to “agradecida” if you’re speaking to a female!

3. Eres un sol (eres un sol)

This is slang-Spanish so make sure to read the room first! “Eres un sol” literally means “you are a sunshine” and by calling this person “the sun” or “sunshine” you’re thanking them for something! For example, if you give your Spanish-speaking friend a gift, you may receive a flattering “eres un sol”, similar to the English term of endearment “You’re a doll!”

4. Eres recapo/a (eres reh-capo/a)

Anyone looking to head to Argentina once lockdowns ease up? This is a term used by Argentines to mean “You’re the best!” when you want to go beyond just “gracias”. Again, -o for the masculine and -a for the feminine noun!

Did you know, the “acento argentino” or Argentine accent of Spanish is influenced by Italian, due to large waves of Italian immigration to Argentina in the 19th & 20th centuries? You may even hear Argentinians use the word “chao”, to mean “bye” – derived from the Italian “ciao”!

5. Te la/lo debo (te la/lo de-bo)

Spanish for “I owe you” – Instead of responding with a simple “gracias” if your friend buys you tickets to see “partido de fútbol” or “a football match”, you can say “te la/lo debo”, to let them know you got them next time! Both versions roughly mean the same thing, but “te la debo” means “I owe you one” whereas “te lo debo” means something like “I owe it to you”.

Now, want to put your motivation into action?

“¡Vámonos!” Lets go… Book a conversation session, here, with one of our native Spanish conversation partners or gift a conversation, here, to a loved one – near or far!

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5 Ways to Say Thank You in Arabic

Arabic, Getting Started with Language Learning, Thank You / moulham

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The holidays are (almost) here! As the US kicks off Thanksgiving weekend (next week), and we enter the season of giving and thanks, we’re exploring the many ways of giving thanks in Arabic.

Learn 5 ways to express your gratitude in Arabic and use more natural expressions for your next meetup with a Arabic-speaking friend.

Want to dive deeper? Book a session for free with our language partners affected by displacement and get to know the culture, context, and histories behind these expressions.

Although each country has its own colloquial dialect (عامية) or “‘aammiya”, these 5 ways to say “thank you” can be almost universally understood throughout the MENA region.

1. شكراً (Shukran)

Shukran is used in all Arabic-speaking countries, in both formal and informal settings, and understood widely among all tongues of Arabic language speakers. It comes from the root verb “شكر” “shakara” meaning “to thank”. A common response? You may hear العفو (“al-’awfoo”) or عفوا (“’af-waan”) which literally means “to forgive/pardon”, and is the equivalent to “don’t mention it” or “no problem”.

2. تسلم/تسلمي (Tislam/Tislami)

Heard most commonly throughout the Levant and parts of the Gulf – this phrase comes from the root verb “سلم” or “salama” meaning “to come out safe/healthy”. It can be used if a friend or family member does something nice for you!

Add إيديك/ي or “ideyk/i” to this phrase’s end to quite literally say “may your hands enjoy health” – a way of thanking the hands that give you something!

3. ممنونك/ممنونتك (Mamnoun(t)ak/ek)

Pronounced “mamnountak/ek” from a female speaker, and “mamnounak/ek” from a male speaker, you may hear this throughout the Levant region as a way to say “thank you” or “I’m grateful to you”.

If you’ve got this down, you know some Persian too! This Arabic loanword, “mamnoun” or “ممنون” is commonly used for “thank you” by Persian speakers as well!

4. يعطيك العافية (Ya‘tik al-‘afiya)

Literally translating to “may [God] give you health,” this is a recognition of someone’s hard work and allows you to show your appreciation. You may hear the reply “Allah y-a‘fik” also meaning (May God bless you with good health) in response.

FYI – In Moroccan Darija, “‘afiya” means fire, so please be cautious in Morocco as this phrase will be taken the wrong way!

5. يكثر خيرك (Yekather Khairak/ek)

A shorthand version of the fuller sentence meaning “I wish [that God] increases your welfare”, this phrase can be a way of saying “Thank you so much for helping me” across the Arab world. “Khair” (خير) is the noun meaning “good,” often heard when someone asks “How are you?”.

While this is just a sampler, NaTakallam’s conversation partners can surely tell you more about the subtleties of Arabic.

Interested in learning Arabic?

Alternatively, sign up for our Duo Conversation Sessions in the following Arabic offerings: Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Syrian, Yemeni, or Modern Standard Arabic. Learn more here.

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The holidays are (almost) here! As the US kicks off Thanksgiving weekend (next week), and we enter the season of giving and thanks, we’re exploring the many ways of giving thanks in Arabic.

Although each country has its own colloquial dialect (عامية) or “‘aammiya”, these 5 ways to say “thank you” can be almost universally understood throughout the MENA region.

1. شكراً (Shukran)

2. تسلم/تسلمي (Tislam/Tislami)

Add إيديك/ي or “ideyk/i” to this phrase’s end to quite literally say “may your hands enjoy health” – a way of thanking the hands that give you something!

3. ممنونك/ممنونتك (Mamnoun(t)ak/ek)

If you’ve got this down, you know some Persian too! This Arabic loanword, “mamnoun” or “ممنون” is commonly used for “thank you” by Persian speakers as well!

4. يعطيك العافية (Ya‘tik al-‘afiya)

FYI – In Moroccan Darija, “‘afiya” means fire, so please be cautious in Morocco as this phrase will be taken the wrong way!

5. يكثر خيرك (Yekather Khairak/ek)

While this is just a sampler, NaTakallam’s conversation partners can surely tell you more about the subtleties of Arabic.

5 Ways to Say Thank You in Arabic Read More »

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