How do you say Thank You in German?
The word is danke. For anything more than a passing thanks, vielen Dank is the one to reach for — it suits both a colleague and a stranger.
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Danke
DAHN-kuh
Thanks — everyday, any situation.
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Vielen Dank
FEE-len DAHNK
Many thanks — slightly more formal and very common.
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Danke schön
DAHN-kuh shern
Thank you kindly.
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Herzlichen Dank
HERTS-lish-en DAHNK
“Heartfelt thanks” — warm, good in writing.
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Ich danke Ihnen
ish DAHN-kuh EE-nen
Formal “I thank you”. To a friend: ich danke dir.
1 translation in German
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English: 'Thank you for all your very difficult work this year.' German: 'Vielen Dank für alle Ihre sehr schwierige Arbeit in diesem Jahr.'
Human translation Cheryl
Use it in a sentence
- Thank you very much for your help.Vielen Dank für deine Hilfe.
- Thank you for everything.Danke für alles.
- No, thank you.Nein, danke.
- Thank you, that’s very kind.Danke, das ist sehr nett.
Good to know
What you are thanking for takes für: vielen Dank für deine Hilfe — many thanks for your help.
Answering an offer with danke alone is often taken as “no thank you”. Say ja, bitte to accept and nein, danke to decline.
Dank is a noun, so it is capitalised in vielen Dank, while danke on its own is not.
How to reply to “thank you”
| You’re welcome | Bitte BIT-tuh |
| You’re welcome (fuller) | Bitte schön BIT-tuh shern |
| My pleasure | Gern geschehen gehrn guh-SHAY-en |
| No problem | Kein Problem kine proh-BLAYM |