No matter where you are in the world, politeness is an important skill to have. When you are polite, you come off as respectful, sincere, and pleasant to be around.
If you want to form friendships and build better business connections, you need to learn how to speak politely. Some of the first words and phrases a new language learner will learn have something to do with politeness.
In Spanish, in order to be polite, you need to know how to say “please” and “thank you”. You should also know how to properly respond to “thank you”. In other words, you need to be able to say “you’re welcome.”
To expand your gratitude expression vocabulary, we recommend using the language learning app Babbel, to make learning more fun.
Just as there are different ways to say “thank you” in Spanish, there are also several different ways that you can say “you’re welcome”. Here are a few you should know.
1. De nada
Meaning: You’re welcome
This is the most direct translation in Spanish of the English phrase “you’re welcome”. It can be used in any circumstances to respond to a “thank you” or other words of gratitude.
2. Por nada
Meaning; It’s nothing
This is one way to respond to “thank you” in Spanish. It’s considered appropriate in both casual and formal situations.
This version can be heard in Spain, but it’s actually a little more common in Latin American countries, particularly Costa Rica and Puerto Rico.
3. Gracias a ti
Meaning: Thank you
Sometimes, when someone thanks you, you can just thank them back. That’s something that’s accepted in polite Spanish society and this is the phrase you can use. You can also simply say “a ti”.
4. No es nada
Meaning: It’s nothing or it’s not a big deal
This is a casual way to say your welcome to a friend or college. You can use it to respond to someone who is thanking you for your help.
5. Está bien
Meaning: It’s all good
This is another casual way to say “you’re welcome in Spanish”. You can use it to assure someone that helping them or doing them a favor is no trouble.
6. Noy hay problema
Meaning: It’s no problem
Another casual way of telling someone that you are happy to do them a favor or that you don’t mind helping them out.
7. No te preocupes
Meaning: No worries
This is an informal and slightly slangy way to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish.
8. No se preocupe
Meaning: Don’t worry
This is a more formal way of saying “no te preocupes”. It’s also meant to assure someone that you don’t mind helping them.
9. No hay de qué
Meaning: There’s nothing to worry about
This is a nice and relaxed way of assuring someone that their request for help is not a problem and that you don’t need them to do a favor in return.
10. De qué
Meaning: There’s no need
Instead of saying the whole phrase “no hay de qué”, you can also simply say “de qué”. It’s a casual and accepted way to respond to “thank you”.
11. No hay de qué preocuparse
Meaning: There’s nothing to worry about
Basically, the exact same thing as “no hay de qué”, it’s just a longer phrase.
12. No hay problema
Meaning: No problem
When you hear this phrase from a Spanish speaker responding to “thank you”, they are basically saying “you’re welcome”. They are saying that they were happy to help you or that it wasn’t a problem for them to do you a favor.
13. No tienes nada que agradecer
Meaning: Think nothing of it
This phrase for “you’re welcome” is considered a bit old-fashioned and formal. You are more likely to hear it from people of an older generation.
14. ¿Qué agradeces?
Meaning: What are you thanking me for?
This phrase may sound a little harsh, but it’s still a good way to respond to a ‘thank you”. Your basically telling someone that they don’t owe you anything or that the favor they’re thanking you for wasn’t a big deal.
15. No lo menciones
Meaning: Don’t mention it
This is the gentler version of ¿Qué agradeces?. Both these phrases that mean “you’re welcome” tend to dismiss or downplay the favor that you performed for another person.
16. Con gusto
Meaning: Happy to help
This is the equivalent of saying that something was “your pleasure”. You’re likely to hear this from strangers or people in the service sector. For example, if someone helped you find the bank, they might say “con gusto” after you thank them.
17. Con much gusto
Meaning: With much pleasure
This phrase is similar to “con gusto” and is the equivalent to “you’re very welcome”.
18. A la orden
Meaning: At your service
This is a way to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish that is usually used by people in the service industry. So, you are more likely to hear this from your waiter than you are from a classmate.
19. Es un placer
Meaning: It’s my pleasure
This is another way to respond to “thank you” that you’re likely to encounter from people in the service industry.
20. Es mi placer
Meaning: It’s my pleasure
You’re likely to get this response to a “thank you” if you happen to be in a formal situation or speaking to someone who wants to make a good impression.
21. El placer es mio
Meaning: It’s my pleasure
Of the three ways to say something is “your pleasure” that we enumerate here, this is the most formal. It’s considered a little old-fashioned and quaint actually.
22. Para servirle
Meaning: At your service
This is a very formal way to respond to a “thank you” in Spanish. It’s almost exclusively used in a formal, workplace setting. So, your server could respond to “thank you” with this. Also, the office receptionist might respond to this when you thank her for passing on messages.
It’s basically appropriate when responding to the thanks of someone who is a little higher up socially than you are.
23. Cuando quiera
Meaning: Anytime
This is a common way to respond to an expression of gratitude in Spanish. It’s very casual and mostly used among family and friends.
24. No fue nada
Meaning: It was nothing
This is another Spanish phrase that you can use to answer expressions of gratitude. Your basically telling someone that it was not a problem to lend them aid or do them a favor.
25. Encantado de ayudar Para eso estamos
Meaning: That’s what we’re here for
This is a particularly warm way to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish. This can be said among family or close friends.
26. Hoy por ti mañana por mí
Meaning: Today for you, tomorrow for me
This is actually an example of a Spanish idiom, a phrase or group of words that make total sense to native speakers but might confuse a new language learner. This translates to “today for you, tomorrow for me” but what it really means is “you’re welcome”. You’re basically telling them not to worry about it, as you are sure that one day they’ll be the one doing you a favor and you’ll be the one thanking them “tomorrow”.
Conclusion
They say you only have one chance to make a good first impression, that’s one reason why it’s very important for you to learn and use Spanish words and phrases like the ones we discuss here. You never, never, want to leave anyone with the impression that you are a “rude” foreigner.
In order to help you learn the proper ways to say “you’re welcome”, we suggest that you take the time to book a few sessions with a native Spanish-speaking online tutor. They can help correct your vocabulary and accent in real-time to ensure that, when you respond to a “thank you”, you do so in a way that is clearly understandable to the person you are speaking to. Find a tutor here
How to say You're welcome in Spanish?
De nada, Por nada, Gracias a ti, No es nada, Está bien, Noy hay problema, No te preocupes, No se preocupe
What are some ways of saying You'welcome in Spanish?
No hay de qué, De qué, No hay de qué preocuparse, No hay problema, No tienes nada que agradecer