Thank you in German · with audio

Thank You in German: Danke, Danke schön, and Vielen Dank

Thank you

Danke

Thank you in German is Danke. It works in every situation, from a bakery to a job interview, and it is the first word most learners say to a German speaker. If you want a little more warmth, add schön: Danke schön. If you want to sound formal or you are writing an email, use Vielen Dank.

The list below has every common way to say thanks, what each one signals, and audio so you can hear the pronunciation. It also covers the replies, because Germans expect an answer to Danke, and one trap: on its own, Danke can mean "no, thank you".

Ways to say thank you in German

All of these are safe. The difference is warmth and formality. Danke and Danke schön cover almost every spoken situation; the longer forms are for bigger favors, formal settings, and writing.

German	English	Note
Danke The everyday word, formal and informal	Thank you, thanks	The everyday word, formal and informal
Danke schön A little warmer than Danke. Also written as one word: Dankeschön	Thank you very much	A little warmer than Danke. Also written as one word: Dankeschön
Danke sehr Same level as Danke schön	Thanks a lot	Same level as Danke schön
Vielen Dank Slightly formal. The standard closing in emails	Many thanks	Slightly formal. The standard closing in emails
Herzlichen Dank Formal, often written. Literally "hearty thanks"	Heartfelt thanks	Formal, often written. Literally "hearty thanks"
Vielen lieben Dank Warm and informal, between people who know each other	Thank you so much	Warm and informal, between people who know each other
Tausend Dank Informal, for a big favor	A thousand thanks	Informal, for a big favor
Ich danke Ihnen / Ich danke dir A full sentence. Ihnen is formal, dir is informal	I thank you	A full sentence. Ihnen is formal, dir is informal
Danke für … Danke für die Hilfe (thanks for the help), Danke für alles (thanks for everything)	Thank you for …	Danke für die Hilfe (thanks for the help), Danke für alles (thanks for everything)
Danke, gleichfalls The reply to "Schönen Tag noch" or "Guten Appetit"	Thanks, same to you	The reply to "Schönen Tag noch" or "Guten Appetit"
Nein, danke Turning down an offer	No, thank you	Turning down an offer

How to reply to Danke

Germans nearly always answer a thank you. Bitte is the standard reply and it is the same word as "please". Gern geschehen and Gerne are warmer and mean "gladly".

German	English	Note
Bitte The standard reply. Also means please	You are welcome	The standard reply. Also means please
Bitte schön The reply to Danke schön	You are welcome	The reply to Danke schön
Bitte sehr The reply to Danke sehr	You are welcome	The reply to Danke sehr
Gern geschehen Literally "gladly done"	My pleasure	Literally "gladly done"
Gerne Short and friendly, very common in shops and cafés	Gladly	Short and friendly, very common in shops and cafés
Nichts zu danken	Nothing to thank me for
Keine Ursache Literally "no cause"	Don't mention it	Literally "no cause"
Kein Problem Informal	No problem	Informal

Example sentences

Danke für die Hilfe!
Thanks for the help!
Vielen Dank für Ihre schnelle Antwort.
Many thanks for your quick reply.
Danke schön, das ist sehr nett von dir.
Thank you very much, that is very kind of you.
Möchten Sie noch Kaffee? Nein, danke.
Would you like more coffee? No, thank you.
Ich danke Ihnen für das Gespräch.
Thank you for the conversation.
Schönen Tag noch! Danke, gleichfalls.
Have a nice day! Thanks, you too.

Good to know

Danke on its own can mean "no, thank you"

When someone offers you something, a plain Danke is often understood as a polite refusal, the same as Nein, danke. To accept, say Ja, bitte or Ja, gerne. This is the mistake English speakers make most often, and it costs them a lot of free coffee.

Danken takes the dative

The verb danken (to thank) uses the dative case for the person: Ich danke dir (informal), Ich danke Ihnen (formal), Ich danke euch (plural informal). Never Ich danke dich.

Danke für needs the accusative

After Danke für the thing you are thankful for is in the accusative: Danke für den Kaffee, Danke für die Einladung (thanks for the invitation), Danke für das Geschenk (thanks for the gift).

Danke schön or Dankeschön?

Both spellings are correct. Danke schön (two words) is the phrase you say. Dankeschön (one word) is also a noun: ein kleines Dankeschön means a small thank-you gift.

Pronunciation

Danke is DAHN-kuh, two syllables, with a short a as in "father" cut short. The final e is not silent. In schön the ö is the tricky sound: say "ay" while rounding your lips as if for "oh". Press play on any phrase above to hear it.

Practice with flashcards

This phrase and 120 more as cards. See the English, say the German, flip to check. Free, no signup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I just say Danke?

Yes. Danke is polite in every situation, formal or informal. Adding schön or sehr makes it warmer, but nobody will think a plain Danke is rude.

What does Danke schön mean?

Literally "thank you nicely". It means thank you very much and is a little warmer than Danke on its own. The usual reply is Bitte schön.

How do you say thank you very much in German?

Danke schön, Danke sehr, or Vielen Dank. All three mean thank you very much. Vielen Dank is the most formal of the three and the one to use in writing.

How do you say thank you politely in German?

Vielen Dank or Herzlichen Dank are the polite, formal choices. With a person you address as Sie, you can also say the full sentence Ich danke Ihnen.

How do you reply to Danke in German?

Bitte is the standard reply and works everywhere. Gern geschehen and Gerne are warmer. If someone says Danke schön, the matching reply is Bitte schön.

What is the difference between Danke and Bitte?

Danke means thank you. Bitte means please, but it is also the reply to Danke, meaning you are welcome, and what you say when handing something over, meaning here you are.

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How Are You in German: Wie geht's, Wie geht es dir, Wie geht es Ihnen

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