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How to Say ‘Thank you, that's kind.’ in French

Merci, c'est gentil.

mair-see suh eh zhahn-TEE

[mair-see suh eh zhahn-TEE]

🇫🇷 In France: This is the standard warm thank-you when someone does you a small favour, like stopping the meter. It lands as gracious without being over the top.

Phrase Breakdown

Merci,

mair-see

Thank you,

The most common way to say thanks. Stress lightly on the last syllable: 'mehr-SEE'.

Example

Merci beaucoup !

Thank you very much!

Words in this phrase

Merci

[mair-see]

thank you

A polite expression of one's gratitude.

Example

Merci pour votre aide.

Thank you for your help.

c'est gentil.

suh eh zhahn-TEE

that's kind.

A polite fixed expression for 'that's nice of you'. The 'g' in 'gentil' is soft like 'zh', and the final 'l' is silent: 'say zhahn-tee'.

Example

Oh, c'est gentil de m'aider.

Oh, it's kind of you to help me.

Words in this phrase

[suh]

Used to refer to a thing previously mentioned.

Example

C'est incroyable.

It is incredible.

est

[eh]

Third person singular present of be.

Example

C'est important.

It is important.

gentil

[zhahn-TEE]

kind / nice

Describes the other person's words or gesture as thoughtful and pleasant.

Example

Dans « C'est gentil », « gentil » veut dire que le compliment est aimable.

In “C'est gentil,” “gentil” means the compliment is kind.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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