In the daily life of Spanish speakers, there are different ways to express gratitude, not only by saying “gracias.”      Let’s go find out more.


Introduction.

Practicing gratitude has incredible effects, from improving our mental health to boosting our relationships with others. So, it would be interesting to handle different options to express gratitude depending on the context beyond "gracias." 


4 Formulas.

  • Neutral formulas.
  • Formal formulas.
  • Informal formulas.
  • Original formulas.

     


Neutral formulas.

The most classic formula is, of course, ‘gracias - thanks’ quite simply. But we can complete this word with others to give it more emphasis. Any of these options can be used in formal or informal contexts.


  • Muchas gracias - Thank you so much.
  • Muchísimas gracias - Thank you very much. Thanks a lot.
  • Un millón de gracias - Thanks a million.
  • Muchas gracias por todo - Thank you for everything


Informal formulas.

There are different ways to thank (agradecer) someone in more informal language. 

The pronoun ‘te’ in the following formulas is optional, but it is highly recommended for emphasizing to whom we are expressing gratitude.

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  • Un montón de gracias - Thanks a bunch.
  • Te estoy agradecido - I’m grateful.
  • Te estoy eternamente agradecido - I am eternally grateful.
  • Te agradezco tu tiempo - I appreciate your time.
  • Te agradezco tu amabilidad - I thank you for your kindness
  • Te lo agradezco  - I appreciate it.
  • Te lo agradezco de todo corazón - I thank you with all my heart.
  • Te debo una - I owe you one. (In this case, the pronoun ‘te’ is mandatory)
  • Recibe toda mi gratitud - Receive all my gratitude


Formal formulas.

The above informal formulas can be turned into formal treatment by changing the ‘te’ (a ti) pronoun to ‘le’ (a usted) pronoun and the possesive adjective ‘tu’ to ‘su’.

Another issue to bear in mind is when a sentence includes an indirect pronoun ‘le’ and a direct pronoun ‘lo’, because of phonetic troubles, we change the pronoun ‘le’ to ‘se’.  

 .

  • Le estoy agradecido - I’m grateful.
  • Le estoy eternamente agradecido - I am eternally grateful.
  • Le agradezco su tiempo - I appreciate your time.
  • Le agradezco su amabilidad - I thank you for your kindness.
  • Se lo agradezco  - I appreciate it.
  • Se lo agradezco de todo corazón - I thank you with all my heart.
  • Gracias de antemano / Gracias por anticipado - Thanks in advance.
  • Reciba toda mi gratitud - Receive all my gratitude.
  • Sinceramente agradecido - Sincerely grateful.
  • Por favor acepte mi más sincera gratitud - Please accept my sincerest gratitude.
  • Realmente aprecio su tiempo - I really appreciate your time.

 


Original formulas.

The formulas in this section can vary a lot, depending on the speaker's creativity and the Spanish-speaking country. In Spain, the most used colloquial expressions in informal situations are the following:


  • Eres un angel - I’m grateful.
  • No tengo palabras para expresar mi gratitud - I have no words to express my gratitude.
  • Me salvaste la vida. ¡Mucísima gracias! - You saved my life. Thank you very much!
  • Gracias. ¡Eres lo más! ¡Eres el mejor! - Thank you. You are the best!
  • ¡Qué haría yo sin ti! - What would I do without you! 
  • Agradecido para siempre - Forever grateful.
  • Mi gratitud no tiene límites - My gratitud knows no bounds.


Finally, how do you respond to a “gracias” in Spanish language? 

There are many different options. The most well-known form of courtesy used in response to "gracias" is "de nada." This is the most basic phrase. In English it corresponds to the expression “you are welcome.”


It is possible to answer something completely different! For example, "no hay de qué" or "no hay por qué" literally “ dont mention it” which is often used in everyday language. This is also the case with the adverbial phrase “con placer” or “con gusto” literally “with pleasure.” It is another one of the expressions to thank in Spanish.

Sometimes after being thanked, we can answer “Gracias a ti” informal or “Gracias a usted” formal treatment, literally “It is I who thank you!” It is a formula often used when the situation is beneficial for each other.

Let’s see some real situations:


Situation 1. Informal (tu) and formal (su) speech.

A- Muchas gracias por tu/su ayuda. Ha sido un placer trabajar contigo/con usted.

    Thank you very much for your help. It has been a pleasure working with you.

B- De nada. El placer ha sido mío.

     You are welcome. The pleasure has been all mine. 


Situation 2. Informal (tu) and formal (su) speech.

A- Estoy muy agradecido por tu/su apoyo.

    I am very grateful for your support.

B- No hay de qué. 

     Don’t mention it. 


Do you know other ways to express and respond to a gratitude formula?

Feel free to leave them in the comment below. I’ll be glad to read them.

I hope the article has helped you to enhance your list of speaking options for sounding like a native Spanish speaker. 

If you want to practice this topic deeper, or any other one, let's go to start an iTalki classroom. I am more than happy to help you.


Thanks for reading the article.