As the previous post was all about "Thank-yous", I thought it'd be appropriate to follow up with an article about responding to thank-yous!
The simplest form of thank you often correspond to the simplest form of welcome:
Danke! - Bitte!
Thank you! - You're welcome!
Danke schön! - Bitte schön!
Thank you! - You're welcome!
Danke sehr! - Bitte sehr!
Thank you very much! - You're very welcome!
Aside from those mentioned above, any of the following expressions can be used to respond to thank-yous, but bearing in mind that some are used more often in formal situations and some are used only in informal situations.
Gern geschehen
It's my pleasure. / Done gladly.
Can be used in both formal or informal situations.
Expressed when someone thank you for something you have done for them in favour or when you go a little out of your way to help them.
Gerne!
Gladly!
Shortened and casual form of "Gern geschehen".
Used almost as often as "bitte"
Expresses how one did the favour happily or willingly.
Sehr gerne!
Very gladly!
Just like "Gerne!" but more intense
Das habe ich doch gern gemacht!
I was happy to do that!
Mit Vergnügen! / Es war mir ein Vergnügen.
With pleasure! / It was my pleasure.
Used in formal situations: “Mit” is “with” and “Vergnügen” means pleasure or delight.
Das Vergnügen ist ganz auf meiner Seite.
The pleasure is all mine.
This is also used in formal situations for example when someone says "Vielen Dank für die interessante Diskussion." (Thank you very much for the interesting discussion.)
Es war mir eine Freude.
It was my pleasure.
Can be used in both formal or informal situations, but this is a very polite form of expressing "you're welcome" so it is more often used in formal situations
Das war doch selbstverständlich!
That goes without saying!
Nichts zu danken
Don't mention it.
(Literally: nothing to thank for)
Can be used in both formal and informal situations
Expressed when someone thank you for something you did,
usually something minor or casual like holding the lift.
Dafür nicht / Nicht dafür / Da nicht für
Don't mention it
(Literally: Not for that)
Shortened form of:
,,Dafür brauchst du dich doch nicht zu bedanken!“
This expresses that someone has gladly helped and does not demand thanks for it.
Similar to "nichts zu danken", usually when the help is something minor or the person did not need to go out of his way to do it. It may also be part of one's job in the first place.
However, this phrase may sometimes be seen as rude or impolite to some because it seems as though their gratefulness is not accepted.
You'd usually use these expressions only in informal situations:
Jederzeit
Anytime
Keine Ursache!
No worries!
Kein Problem!
No problem!
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