Alongside saying “hello”, ”I’m sorry” or ”thank you” in French, “you’re welcome” is one of the most common expressions you’re likely to need to use on a daily basis. As with any frequently used phrase, there are many different ways to translate “you’re welcome” in French. There are even expressions that are used specifically in French-speaking countries, rather than France. Not all phrases are equivalent, and it’s important to know in which context each may be used, depending on how formal or informal you may be. It’s also useful to practice your pronunciation of those phrases. To cover all possible scenarios, we have listed 13 common ways to say “you are welcome” in French:
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1. De rien
Quite likely the most common and the simplest way to say “you’re welcome”, de rien literally means “from nothing” — though “it’s nothing” is probably a better translation. You can use it in pretty much any situation, be it with friends, family or complete strangers.
2. Je vous en prie
If you find yourself in a more formal situation, then je vous en prie is probably your best choice. The phrase literally means “I pray you for it”, though it’s only used to say “you’re welcome” in French. It uses the formal pronoun vous, which serves to show respect when speaking to someone you don’t know very well.
3. Je t’en prie
If you happen to be talking to people you are closer to but still find yourself in a fairly formal environment, such as at work, then je t’en prie may be a good alternative. You could almost say it’s a good compromise between je vous en prie and de rien.
4. Il n’y a pas de quoi
Il n’y a pas de quoi is probably the trickiest expression to translate in our list. Its literal meaning is “there’s nothing of which”, but it’s a somewhat truncated way of saying “there is nothing to thank me for”. In effect, it’s used as an alternative to de rien, in pretty much any everyday interaction.
5. Avec plaisir
Next comes the easiest expression to translate: avec plaisir is the exact same expression as “with pleasure”. It can be used in more formal contexts, as an alternative to both je vous en prie and je t’en prie.
6. Merci à vous/toi
This phrase, which can be translated as “my thanks to you”, is a way of returning your thanks to the other person. You can use merci à vous with people you’re formal with, and merci à toi with friends and family.
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7. C’est moi qui vous/te remercie
Meaning “I’m the one thanking you”, this is yet another way to say “you’re welcome” by showing your gratitude. Once again, you have the formal version of c’est moi qui vous remercie and the more casual version c’est moi qui te remercie. You also have the option of saying the shorter version c’est moi.
8. Ce n’est rien
In an almost identical way to de rien, the phrase ce n’est rien (it’s nothing) plays on the idea that you have done little to deserve being thanked for.
9. Il n’y a pas de problème
Translating as “there’s no problem”, il n’y a pas de problème, and its shorter version pas de problème, express the idea that whatever you’re being thanked for didn’t require much effort. It’s always used in an informal way.
10. Il n’y a pas de souci
In the same vein as il n’y a pas de problème, il n’y a pas de souci can be translated as “that’s no worries” or “that’s no trouble”. You can also shorten the phrase to just pas de souci.
11. Bienvenue
The main meaning of bienvenue is “welcome”, when you greet someone in a new place. However, in French Canadian only, the word can also be used to say “you’re welcome”.
12. S’il vous plaît
In Belgian French, the phrase s’il vous plaît is used to say “please” (as it would in France), but also “you’re welcome”.
13. À votre service
Literally meaning “at your service”, the expression à votre service is the one Swiss French people use to say “you’re welcome”.
To sum it all up
| English | French | Pronunciation |
| You’re welcome | De rien | duh ree-ah |
| You’re welcome (lit.) “I pray you for it” | Je vous en prie (formal) Je t’en prie (informal) | zhe voos ah pree zhe t-ah pree |
| (lit.) There is nothing to thank me for | Il n’y a pas de quoi | eel knee ah pah duh koo-ah |
| With pleasure | Avec plaisir | ah-vec pleh-seer |
| (lit.) My thanks to you | Merci à vous/toi | mer-see ah voo/twa |
| I’m the one thanking you | C’est moi qui vous remercie (formal) C’est moi qui te remercie (informal) | say mua key voo ruh-mer-see say mua key tuh ruh-mer-see |
| It’s nothing | Ce n’est rien | say neh ree-ah |
| It’s no problem | Il n’y a pas de problème | eel knee ah pah duh proh-blem |
| No worries | Il n’y a pas de souci | eel knee ah pah duh soo-see |
| You’re welcome | Bienvenue (French Canadian only) | bee-uhn-veh-new |
| You’re welcome | S’il vous plaît (Belgian French only) | seel-voo pleh |
| At your service | À votre service (used mainly in French-speaking Switzerland) | ah voh-truh ser-vees |
How to say you’re welcome in French
With these 13 expressions, you have plenty of choices to say “you are welcome” in French, in both formal and informal situations. Now you even know how to say it depending on which French-speaking country you happen to be in. Thankfully, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to hear and to use them on a daily basis while learning French, which should make it easier for you to pick them up.
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Anne-Lise Vassoille
Anne-Lise is a translator and copywriter working for various industries... Settled down in London, she cannot get enough of the exceptional cultural life in the English capital city, starting with theater, be it to see a new West End show or to roll up her sleeves with her amateur drama group. She is also interested in photography, as her Instagram profile shows. She indulges her passion for languages in a translation blog she writes with other linguist friends. Go to her Linkedin page to know more about her background and her professional experience.
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