🙏💬😊

How to Say ‘Thank you for talking with me.’ in Japanese

お話、ありがとうございました。

o hanashi arigatou gozai mashi ta

[oh ha-na-shee ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mah-shee tah]

💬 Usage Tip: お makes 話 "talk" polite. The past form ありがとうございました thanks someone for something that has just ended, which is why it's the natural way to close a conversation.

Phrase Breakdown

お話、

o hanashi

the talk / your story

話 (hanashi) means 'talk'. The お prefix adds politeness: o-ha-na-shi.

Example

お話を聞きました。

I listened to the talk.

Words in this phrase

お

[oh]

honorific prefix

お adds politeness to certain words and expressions.

Example

チケットを二枚お願いします。

Two tickets, please.

話

hanashi

[ha-na-shee]

talk; story

話 means talk, speech, or story depending on context.

Example

先生の話をよく聞いて。

Listen carefully to the teacher's talk.

ありがとうございました。

arigatou gozai mashi ta

thank you very much (for what was done)

The past form of ありがとうございます, used for something that has already happened.

Example

今日はありがとうございました。

Thank you very much for today.

Words in this phrase

ありがとう

arigatou

[ah-ree-gah-toh]

thank you

A common way to say thank you.

Example

ありがとう、助かります。

Thank you, that helps.

ござい

gozai

[goh-zah-ee]

to be; to exist (very polite)

A very polite version of あります, often used by staff in restaurants and hotels.

Example

駐車場がございます。

There is a parking lot.

まし

mashi

[mah-shee]

polite past marker

Part of the polite past form in 分かりました.

Example

請求の内容がまし分かりました。

I understood the contents of the charge.

た

[tah]

past tense ending

This ending completes the polite past tense form.

Example

空席がございました。

There were vacant seats.

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