If you’ve ever traveled to a foreign country, you know that a simple “please” and “thank you” can go a long way! These ✨ magic words ✨ should be among the very first vocabulary you learn in any language. Keep reading to learn how to say thank you in different languages, plus some other polite phrases in Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, and German.
Why You Should Really Know How to Say Thank You in Another Language
World travelers, tourists, and adventure seekers: listen up! Learning to say thank you in different languages is one of the first things you should do if you’re preparing for a trip abroad. By attempting to be polite, you are showing humility and respect, even if your speaking skills are very basic.
Knowing how to say “thank you” in another language—and a few other important phrases like “excuse me,” “you’re welcome,” and “I’m sorry”—will make your interactions in a foreign country go over more smoothly. And it could even help you get out of sticky situations.
👮🏻♂️ That parking ticket the French officer is about to write you? Try “Je suis vraiment désolée, monsieur“—he might be in a forgiving mood! (And if he does let you slide, don’t forget to say, “Merci beaucoup, monsieur!“)
😳 Accidentally bump into someone on a crowded street in Madrid? Smile and say “Perdón,” and there’ll be no hard feelings.
🤗 When your favorite Brazilian street food vendor gives you a few extra bolinhos de bacalhau, let them know how much you appreciate it: “O senhor é muito amável.”
Now, it’s up to you! Below, we’ll teach you how to say thank you in different languages (Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, and Mandarin, specifically). Add these important phrases to your MosaLingua app’s learning stack to start memorizing them today. Once you’ve got that down, keep reading to learn a few other polite phrases before your next trip abroad.
How to say “Thank you”
- 🇫🇷 French: Merci
- 🇩🇪 German: Danke
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Obrigado(a)
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Grazie
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Gracias
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 谢谢你 – xiè xie nǐ
How to say “Please”
- 🇫🇷 French: S’il vous plaît
- 🇩🇪 German: Bitte
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Por favor
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Per favore
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Por favor
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 请 – qǐng
How to say “You’re welcome”
- 🇫🇷 French: De rien
- 🇩🇪 German: Nichts zu danken
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Por nada
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Prego / Di niente
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: De nada
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 不客气 – bú kè qi
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How to say “You’re very kind”
- 🇫🇷 French: Vous êtes bien aimable
- 🇩🇪 German: Sie sind sehr nett
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: O(a) senhor(a) é muito amável
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Lei è molto gentile
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Usted es muy amable
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 您真友好 – nín zhēn yǒu hǎo
How to say “Nice to meet you”
- 🇫🇷 French: Enchanté(e)
- 🇩🇪 German: Freut mich sehr
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Muito prazer
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Piacere (di conoscerti)
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Encantado(a)
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 很高兴认识你 – hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nǐ
How to say “No problem”
- 🇫🇷 French: Ce n’est pas grave
- 🇩🇪 German: Das macht nichts
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Não foi nada
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Non è un problema
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: No pasa nada
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 没问题 – méi wèn tí
How to say “Good luck”
- 🇫🇷 French: Bonne chance
- 🇩🇪 German: Viel Glück
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Boa sorte
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Buona fortuna
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Buena suerte
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 祝你好運 – Zhù nǐ hǎoyùn
How to say “Excuse me”
- 🇫🇷 French: Excusez-moi (to get around someone, for example)
- 🇩🇪 German: Mit Ihrer Erlaubnis / Entschuldigen Sie bitte (um vorbeizugehen)
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Com licença
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Permesso
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Con su permiso/perdone (to get around someone)
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 打扰一下 – dǎ rǎo yí xià
How to say “Have a seat”
- 🇫🇷 French: Asseyez-vous s’il vous plaît
- 🇩🇪 German: Setzen Sie sich bitte
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Sente-se, por favor
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Si sieda per favore
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Tome asiento
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 请坐 – qǐng zuò
How to say “I agree”
- 🇫🇷 French: Je suis d’accord
- 🇩🇪 German: Ich bin einverstanden
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Eu concordo
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Sono d’accordo
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Estoy de acuerdo
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 我同意 – wǒ tóng yì
How to say “I’m really sorry”
- 🇫🇷 French: Je suis vraiment désolé(e)
- 🇩🇪 German: Es tut mir wirklich leid
- 🇧🇷 Portuguese: Sinto muito
- 🇮🇹 Italian: Mi dispiace (molto)
- 🇪🇸 Spanish: Lo siento mucho
- 🇨🇳 Chinese: 非常抱歉 – fēi cháng bào qiàn
Conclusion: Thank You in 6 Languages
Well done! Now you know a few ways of saying thank you in different languages. You also have the vocabulary you need to be as polite as possible when traveling.
Even if these are the only phrases you know, the people you encounter will be more receptive if you approach them with “Excuse me,” follow up your request with “please,” and are sure to thank them for their services before you go!
Of course, these are just the basics of polite speech. If you want to have more meaningful conversations, you’ll need to learn a lot more vocabulary! For all the most useful words and phrases in 8 different languages, and to make sure they’re firmly stuck in your long-term memory, try the MosaLingua app. Then, try out the new phrases you’ve learned on a language-learning partner who speaks your target language. At the end of your conversation, be sure to thank them for their time in their native language!
And thank you for reading!
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