Formules de politesse françaises pour débutants
A1 French listening practice · French · Curated for beginners
How do you say “you’re welcome” in French?
Merci beaucoup has a standard answer, and it contains no word for “welcome.” French says de rien, literally “of nothing”: instead of accepting the thanks, you wave the favour away as too small to mention, exactly like Spanish de nada. It is the everyday, all-purpose response, equally at home with friends, colleagues and the person behind a counter.
The ladder above it is short: je vous en prie is the polite version you will hear across a shop counter, pas de quoi is casual, avec plaisir is warm. One regional note worth recognising — many speakers in Québec answer merci with bienvenue, modelled on English “you’re welcome.” The Office québécois de la langue française advises against it, and you will still hear it constantly.