How to say thank you in German and in song – DW – 01/11/2019 (2024)

"Thank you" is something most people say every day. But the simple words of gratitude are celebrated around the world every year on January 11.

Theday wascreated in 1994 by American "eventologist" Adrienne Sioux Koopersmith, who claims to have created more than 1,900 "holidates"over the past 30 years.

Music to say danke

To inspire you onthis special day, we have looked into songs that say thanks, whether sincerely orironically, and oftenwith a touch of nostalgia. The gallery above highlights some of them while our Spotify list below offers more titles, from Ariana Grande to Led Zeppelin.

A classic among them that'll get you swinging on a happy note for the rest of the day was performed by American singer Brenda Lee, Lee's cute American pronunciation of the words"danke schön" is bound to make any German smile.

Lee's interpretationmight also inspire you to brush up your German vocabulary to say thanks.

Here are a few options:

- Danke is the most basic way to say thanks.

- Danke schön,literally "beautiful thanks," and danke sehr ("thanks a lot") are a variation adding a touch of formality to the initial form.

- Vielen Dank, or "many thanks," is often used in written and is even more formal than the above.

- Ich danke dir! / Ich danke Ihnen! is "I thank you," using the informal and the formal declinations of you.

- Tausend Dank, "thousand thanks," is the idiomatic equivalent of the English "thanks a million."

-If you want to go all the way to demonstrate your sincere gratitude, the options Vielen Herzlichen Dank andHerzliches Dankeschön refer to "heartfelt thanks."

And then, when you say danke,Germans might well answer with the same word they used to say please:bitte—but that's another story.

How to say thank you in German and in song – DW – 01/11/2019 (2024)

FAQs

How to say thank you in German and in song – DW – 01/11/2019? ›

Here are a few options: - Danke is the most basic way to say thanks. - Danke schön, literally "beautiful thanks," and danke sehr ("thanks a lot") are a variation adding a touch of formality to the initial form. - Vielen Dank, or "many thanks," is often used in written and is even more formal than the above.

How to answer thank you in German? ›

Bitte schön (“you're very welcome”): If someone says, “Danke schön,” you would automatically respond, “Bitte schön.” It's saying, “You're very welcome,” responding to their level of thanks in kind. “Bitte sehr” is another way of saying “you're very welcome,” and is a good response to “Danke sehr.”

How many ways to say thank you in German? ›

How to say thank you in German
EnglishGermanPronunciation
Thank youDankeschön[ˈdaŋkəʃøːn]
ThanksDanke[ˈdaŋkə]
Thank you very muchVielen Dank[ˈfiːlən daŋk]
No, thank youNein, danke[naɪ̯n ˈdaŋkə]
26 more rows
Mar 28, 2022

How to answer dankeschön? ›

If instead they say danke schön, then you should reply by saying bitte schön. But if they on the other hand say danke sehr, you should likewise say bitte sehr. All these mean 'you're welcome'.

How do I reply thank you? ›

15 Ways to Reply to “Thank You” in English
  1. You're welcome. Definition: One of the most common and straightforward responses to thank you. ...
  2. Not at all. ...
  3. No problem. ...
  4. Anytime. ...
  5. It was my pleasure. ...
  6. Glad to help. ...
  7. Don't mention it. ...
  8. Happy to be of service.
Nov 3, 2023

What is Danke Danke? ›

September 14, 2022. Danke is the most common way to express thanks in German. Danke in English is literally Thank you or Thanks.

What should I reply for Danke? ›

In German, the most common response to "Danke" is "Bitte," which means "you're welcome." However, there are other variations such as "Gern geschehen" or "Kein Problem." It's always polite to respond to "Danke" with one of these phrases to show your appreciation for the person's gratitude.

Is "danke schön" correct? ›

Is it correct understood that they mean the same, but “danke schon” is slightly higher when it comes to express that you are thanking someone? Yes, the mean much the same, a bit like the difference between thanks and thank you. Dankeschön or vielen dank would be a bit stronger than danke on its own.

Can bitte mean thank you? ›

Bitte — You're welcome

It's often the most common response and can be used to respond to any of the ways to say thank you in the German listed above. Bitte also means please, so don't be confused if you hear it in both settings!

Do Germans say you're welcome? ›

Gern geschehen!

This is the most common way of saying you are welcome in German. Even though it actually means done gladly, it has been generally accepted as a way of saying you're welcome. It is also very courteous and would fit many instances formal or informal ones.

What is your name in Germany? ›

“What's your name” in German is “Wie heißt du?” or “Wie heißen Sie” when you're talking to a stranger in a more formal way.

Is "danke dir" correct? ›

So if you want to say I thank you, you have to say “danke dir” in informal or “danke Ihnen” in formal situations. Danke schön is a very common combination of the verb “danken” and the adjective “schön”, which translates as “beautiful” or “pretty”. It is a slightly more emphatic way of saying “thank you”.

How old are you in Germany? ›

wie alt bist du?

What does Danke lieber mean? ›

Translation of "Danke, mein lieber" in English. Thank you, my dear.

How to reply to "danke vielmals"? ›

A Response to a Big "Danke Sehr"

If you did somebody a big favor and they say "thank you very much" to you, which can be for example "Danke vielmals" or "Vielen Dank" in German, you might want to respond with a "you're welcome," which seems more appropriate as it shows it was an absolute pleasure for you to help.

How do you respond to guten tag? ›

And you answer, Gut, danke.. “I'm good, thanks.” And now you want to know how they are doing.

What is Danke and bitte? ›

“Bitte” can mean “please” but may also mean “you're welcome”. Other words that can make you sound more polite include “danke” which means thank you and “gern” or “gerne” which translates to gladly or with pleasure. “Entschuldigung” is also a very useful word which means excuse me or I'm sorry.

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