ECSTRA/Thanks

Typical aspects to be focussed on:

1. Phrases to say thank you

1.1. formal

1.2. informal

2. Typical things to say thank you for, e.g.:

A. compliments

B. services in restaurants

C. information services and help in stores

D. services in administration offices

E. something (goods/merchandise) that a store employee or cashier gives after you've bought it

F. for something that is given back to you

G. for wishes in greeting and leave-taking terms

(Please remember our guidelines.)

AT: Austria

• in Vienna: 1.1 + 1.2.: Danke '(I) thank', Dankeschön '(I) thank finely', Vergelt's Gott 'May God repay it', Vielen Dank 'A lot of thanks'; 1.1: Ich bedanke mich recht herzlich 'I thank quite cordially', Ich bedanke mich vielmals 'I thank many times'; 1.2.: Danke dir '(I) thank you', Dank dir schön '(I) thank you finely', among close friends: Du bist ein Schatz -- Danke 'You're a treasure -- (I) thank'; untypical: Schönen Dank 'Fine thank' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: A-F (ECSTRA-Q)

BE: Belgium

• Bruxelles (French): 1.1. Je vous remercie 'I thank you', Un tout grand merci 'A very big thanks'; 1.2.Merci 'Thanks', Merci beaucoup 'Thanks a lot' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: esp. B-F (in the French-speaking part) (ECSTRA-Q)

CH: Switzerland

German-speaking Switzerland:

• 1.1. danke ('(I)thank'), danke vielmol ('(I) thank (you) a lot'), vielen dank ('lots of thanks'), vilä herzlichä dank ('lots of thanks (heartily)') (PO)
• 1.2. merci ('thanks'), danke/merci vielmol ('thanks a lot'), danke ('thanks'), dank der gell('I thank you, right') (PO)

Lausanne (French-speaking area) (ECSTRA-Q)

• 1. Merci, Merci beaucoup, Merci infiniment (with someone you know)
• 2. all situations given; thanking is generally very wide-spread

CZ: Czech Republic

Bohemia

• 1: formal: Mnohokrát děkuji 'Many thanks', Děkuji 'Thanks'; informal: Dík, Díky, Dík moc; colloquial Díkes (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: service in restaurants, unexpected help, compliments (ECSTRA-Q)

DE: Germany

• 1.1.: cf. 1.2. + Ich danke Ihnen (recht/ganz) herzlich 'I thank you (quite) cordially' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 1.2.: Danke '(I) thank', Vielen Dank 'Many thanks', Schönen Dank 'Nice thanks', Danke schön '(I) thank nicely'; in the east and south also Herzlichen Dank 'Cordial thanks' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: A-F (ECSTRA-Q)

DK: Denmark

...

EE: Estonia

...

ES: Spain

• 1.1.: Muchisimas gracias 'Very many thanks', Un million de gracias 'A million thanks', Te lo agradezco 'I thank you' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 1.2.: Se lo agradezco 'I thank you', Gracias 'Thanks', Muchas gracias 'Many thanks' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: B, C, D, F in Andalusia; A-G in Castilia (ECSTRA-Q)

FI: Finland

• 1.1.: (Paljon) kiitoksia; in the Swedish-speaking area Tack så mycket 'Thanks so much' or Tusen tack 'Thousand thanks' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 1.2.: Kiitos, Kiiti (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: Finnish-speaking part: B, C, D, F, G, sometimes also A, E; Swedish-speaking part: A-G (ECSTRA-Q)

FR: France

• Paris: 1.1.+1.2.: Merci 'Thanks', Merci beaucoup 'Thanks a lot', Merci bien 'Thanks well', Grand merci 'Big thanks'; 1.1.: Merci à vous 'Thanks to you', Je vous remercie 'I thank you', Merci infiniment 'Thanks indefinitely'; 1.2.: Ho merci 'O thanks', Je te remercie 'I thank thee', Tu es très gentil 'You are very nice', thank you (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2:Paris: B, C, D, F, G, sometimes also A, E (ECSTRA-Q)

HR: Croatia

...

HU: Hungary

• Köszönöm 'Thank you' (if one person is saying thank you), köszönjük a... 'We thank you for the...', (nagyon) köszönöm szépen 'thank you (very) much' (PO)

• in very formal situations also: Hálásan köszönöm 'I thank cordially' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: A-F, sometimes also G (ECSTRA-Q)

IE: Ireland

• 1.1.: cf. 1.2. + Thanks a million, (That's) brilliant--you're a star (ECSTRA-Q)
• 1.2.: Thanks, Thank you
• 2: A-G + special attention that hearer has paid or is paying to the speaker (ECSTRA-Q)

IT: Italy

• Lombardy: 1.1. + 1.2.: Grazie 'Thanks', Grazie mille 'Thanks thousand (times)'; very formal: I piu sentiti ringraziamenti 'The most felt gratitudes' (ECSTRA-Q)
• Sicily: 1.1. + 1.2. Grazie, Mille grazie (ECSTRA-Q)
• Lombardy: 2: A-G (ECSTRA-Q)

LT: Lithuania

• 1: Dekui 'Thanks', Aciu labai (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: A-G (ECSTRA-Q)

LU: Luxemburg

...

LV: Latvia

...

MT: Malta

• 1.1.: Thank you, Grazzi hafna 'Many thanks', Grazzi min qalbi (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: for all situations given above, but not necessarily of you are at the end of conversation, because the leave-taking term mostly implies an aspect of thanking (ECSTRA-Q)

NL: Netherlands

...

NO: Norway

...

PL: Poland

• 1: Dziękuję (bardzo) 'I thank (very)', Szerdecznie dziękuje 'Heartful thank' (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: A-G (ECSTRA-Q)

PT: Portugal

• 1: from very formal to informal: muito agredecido - muito obrigado - obrigado (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2: B, C, E, F, for help of any kind (ECSTRA-Q)

SE: Sweden

Tack 'Thanks' (rather informal), Tack så mycket 'Thanks so much' (rather formal) (ECSTRA-Q)

SI: Slovenia

...

SK: Slovakia

...

UK: United Kingdom

• 1.1. Thanks, Many thanks, Cheers, Ta, Ta much (ECSTRA-Q)
• 1.2. Thank you, Thank you very much, Many thanks; Thanks awfully (considered "posh") (ECSTRA-Q)

Non-European Nations

China

In Chinese xiexie for 'thanks', xiexie ni for 'thank you', feichang ganxie for 'thank you very much'.(PO)

Colombia

1. informal: Gracias, Muchas gracias vs. formal: Le agradezco mucho 2. all situations given -- in ordinary and informal situations it is normal to thank all the time and also in response to anybody that provides a service

Greece

• 1.1.: (Σε) ευχαριστω spoken: '"efcharistó"' (thanks); ευχαριστω πολυ spoken: '"efcharistó polí"' (thanks a lot); ευχαριστω παρα πολυ spoken: '"efcharistó pára polí"' (thank you very much) (PO); affectionate: ευχαριστω πολυ, να 'σαι καλα (ECSTRA-Q)
• 1.2.: If you address a person formally Σας ευχαριστω παρα πολυ spoken: '"sass efcharistó pára polí"' (thank you very much); if you are on first-name terms with someone but still want to be formal: Σ'ευχαριστω spoken: '"sefcharistó"' (thank you very much) (PO)
• 2.: for compliments, being helped, good service, polite behavior, being givensome change, wishes in greetings (ECSTRA-Q)

Lebanon

• 1. merci, thanks -- sometimes expressing thankfulness can take up to 5 minutes (ECSTRA-Q)
• 2. all situations given (ECSTRA-Q)

Philippines (Tagalog)

salamat for 'thank you/thanks', salamat po for 'thank you' to indicate politeness (for example when talking to strangers) and maraming salamat for 'thank you very much' (PO).