Thank You in German: 14 Phrases and Polite Replies

---

The quickest way to say “thank you” in German is danke. It works in most everyday situations, with friends, strangers, shop staff and colleagues.

German also gives you plenty of ways to add warmth, emphasis or formality. Danke schön and danke sehr put more weight behind a spoken thank-you, while vielen Dank and herzlichen Dank often fit a message, email or more deliberate expression of gratitude.

These phrases aren't rungs on a fixed politeness ladder. The relationship, setting and tone all matter, so the useful question is which phrase fits this particular exchange.

Here’s a quick guide before we look at each one in context:

German	Natural English	Typical use
Danke	Thanks / Thank you	The everyday default
Danke schön / Danke sehr	Thank you very much	Warm or emphatic
Vielen Dank	Many thanks / Thank you very much	Neutral, deliberate and common in writing
Herzlichen Dank	Heartfelt thanks	Warm and sincere
Besten Dank	Many thanks	Concise, often businesslike or written
Danke vielmals	Thanks very much	Especially natural in Swiss usage; register varies elsewhere
Vergelt’s Gott	Thank you	Traditional and regional in Austria and southern Germany

Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online German course, here’s the course I recommend: German Uncovered – Learn German Through the Power of Story, a course with a fascinating new method by my friend Olly. You can try it for free for 7 days!

“Thank You” in German: Danke

Danke is the standard direct thank-you. It can be casual or polite, and it doesn't change when you're speaking to one person, a group, a friend or someone you address formally.

The word is related to English “thank” and “thanks”, so it's an easy one to recognise. A quick Danke! covers most daily exchanges, although tone can make any short reply sound brisk. In a formal letter or when someone has done you a substantial favour, one of the fuller phrases below may fit better.

“Thank You So Much” in German: Danke schön

Danke schön is a warm, emphatic “thank you very much” or “thanks kindly”. You might hear it when someone hands you your change, holds a door or helps with a small problem.

In this phrase, schön is written with a lowercase s. If you genuinely can't type an umlaut, schoen is the usual substitute, but use schön whenever your keyboard allows it.

“Many Thanks” in German: Danke sehr

Danke sehr also means “thank you very much”. It can sound a touch more deliberate than plain danke, but it isn't a separate level on a universal formality scale. In many everyday situations, danke schön and danke sehr are both natural.

As with schön, write sehr with a lowercase letter inside the phrase.

“Thanks a Lot” in German: Vielen Dank

Vielen Dank means “many thanks” or “thank you very much”. It works in speech and writing, and it's a good choice when you want more weight than a quick danke.

The capital letter matters here: Dank is a masculine noun, while danke is the thank-you word you've already learned. In the fixed phrase vielen Dank, vielen has the accusative masculine singular ending. You don't need to imagine it as a contraction of a longer sentence; learn the whole expression as one useful chunk.

You can make it specific with Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe, “Thank you very much for your help.”

“Thanks a Million” in German: Tausend Dank

Tausend Dank! is an emphatic, somewhat marked “a thousand thanks!” It has the same deliberately oversized feeling as “thanks a million” in English, even though the number is smaller, and it can sound a little literary.

It suits a friendly or enthusiastic thank-you. For an ordinary transaction, danke or vielen Dank will usually sound less marked.

“Many Thanks” in German: Besten Dank

Besten Dank is best translated as “many thanks”, not the unnatural English phrase “best thanks”. You'll often see it in emails, notes and professional exchanges.

It is concise and can sound businesslike. Context does the rest: a warm message around it feels warm, while a two-word reply can feel brisk.

“Thank You Very Much” in German: Danke vielmals

Danke vielmals means “thanks very much”. It is especially natural in Swiss usage; in parts of Germany it can sound more formal, old-fashioned or regional. Vielen Dank is the safer all-region default.

You can use it when plain danke feels too light. It is another expression to learn as a complete phrase rather than translating each word while you speak.

Another Way to Say “Thank You” in German: Ich danke dir/Ihnen/euch

The verb danken means “to thank”, and it takes a person in the dative case. That gives you three useful patterns:

• Ich danke dir. – “I thank you.” One person, informal.
• Ich danke euch. – “I thank you.” Two or more people, informal.
• Ich danke Ihnen. – “I thank you.” One person or a group, formal.

The capitalised formal pronoun Ihnen works for both singular and plural “you”. Lowercase ihnen means “to them”, while lowercase sie can mean “she” or “they”.

Ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Zeit means “Thank you for your time.” If you want to see why danken takes Ihnen rather than Sie, our guide to the German dative case walks through the pattern.

“Heartfelt Thanks” in German: Herzlichen Dank

Herzlichen Dank means “heartfelt thanks” or a warm “thank you very much”. It can be formal, but it doesn't have to be. The phrase is common whenever you want your gratitude to sound sincere rather than routine.

Herzlichen has the same accusative masculine singular ending you saw in vielen Dank. You'll also recognise it in Herzlichen Glückwunsch!, “Congratulations!”, and Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!, “Happy birthday!” Both German nouns stay capitalised.

“Thankful” in German: dankbar

Dankbar is the adjective “thankful” or “grateful”. It lets you describe the feeling rather than perform the act of thanking someone.

• Wir sind sehr dankbar für deine Hilfe. – “We are very grateful for your help.”
• Ich bin Ihnen sehr dankbar. – “I am very grateful to you.” Formal.

With a person, dankbar can take the dative, as in dir or Ihnen. To name the thing you're grateful for, use für.

“Thank God” in German: Gott sei Dank

Gott sei Dank means “thank God”, “thank goodness” or “fortunately”. It expresses relief; it is not a phrase for thanking the person in front of you.

Gott sei Dank hatten wir einen Ersatzreifen. means “Fortunately, we had a spare tyre.” The wording is religious, although many speakers use it as an everyday idiom. As in English, individual comfort with that wording varies.

A Traditional Regional “Thank You”: Vergelt’s Gott

Vergelt’s Gott is a traditional regional thank-you associated especially with Austria and southern Germany. The phrase literally asks God to reward the other person for what they have done.

It carries religious and regional colour, so don't treat it as the default Austrian or Bavarian equivalent of danke. Recognising it is useful, and using it may feel natural in a community where you already hear it.

“Thanks, You Too!” in German: Danke, gleichfalls

Gleichfalls means “likewise” or “the same to you”. Danke, gleichfalls! works when the same wish or thanks genuinely applies in both directions:

• Schönen Abend noch! – “Have a nice evening!”
• Danke, gleichfalls! – “Thanks, you too!”

It is not the general reply to someone thanking you for a favour. In that situation, use bitte, gern geschehen or one of the other replies below.

“Thank You for…” in German: Danke für…

Use für to say what you're grateful for. The preposition für governs the accusative case:

• Danke für das Geschenk. – “Thank you for the gift.”
• Danke für deine Hilfe. – “Thank you for your help.” Informal.
• Vielen Dank für Ihre Zeit. – “Thank you very much for your time.” Formal.
• Ich danke Ihnen für Ihre Zeit. – “I thank you for your time.” Formal.

Use deine for one person informally, eure for two or more people informally, and capitalised Ihre for one person or a group formally. The form of danke itself does not change.

Once you've thanked someone, you'll also need to understand what comes back. German has several natural replies.

“You’re Welcome” in German: Bitte

Bitte is the everyday reply to danke. Bitte schön and bitte sehr add a little warmth or emphasis.

The same word also means “please”, “here you go” and, in Bitte? or Wie bitte?, “Pardon?” The situation tells you which meaning is intended.

Be explicit when answering an offer. Ja, bitte or Gerne, danke accepts it; Nein, danke declines it. A bare danke depends too much on context and tone to teach as an automatic “no”.

“My Pleasure” in German: Gern geschehen

Gern geschehen is a friendly, polite “you're welcome” or “my pleasure”. It is an idiom, so learn it as a complete phrase rather than translating geschehen word for word.

For a shorter reply, use gern, gerne or sehr gerne. Gern and gerne have the same meaning here.

“No Problem” in German: Kein Problem / Keine Ursache

Kein Problem! is the direct equivalent of “No problem!” and fits plenty of casual everyday exchanges.

Keine Ursache! is closer to “Don't mention it” or “No need to thank me”. It can sound more formal or old-fashioned than Kein Problem, depending on the speaker and setting, so the two replies aren't interchangeable in every exchange.

“Oh, It’s Nothing!” in German: Nichts zu danken!

Nichts zu danken! means “Nothing to thank me for” or, more naturally, “Don't mention it.” It is a polite way to play down the effort after someone thanks you.

You now have a useful set of choices: danke for the everyday default, vielen Dank or herzlichen Dank when you want more weight, danke für… when you want to name the reason, and bitte when the thanks comes back to you.

Now You Know How to Say “Thank You” in German, So Start Speaking!

Pick three phrases and say them aloud in short exchanges: Danke!, Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe, and Bitte, gern geschehen. Then swap the reason or the pronoun so you practise choosing a phrase rather than reciting a list.

When you're ready to add the words that come before and after a thank-you, learn a few German greetings. You can also read how I learned fluent German in 3 months.

The next step is to use one of these phrases with another person. Conversation Countdown is my course for preparing for your first real conversation, so you have something useful to say when the moment arrives.