How to say 'You're welcome' in French

It’s okay to make mistakes when speaking French - that’s all part of the learning process. But it’s still important to be polite, which is why some of the first words we recommend that learners add to their vocabulary are s'il vous plaît ('please'), merci ('thank you'), and - of course - de rien ('you’re welcome').

Of course, it’s not absolutely essential to say de rien whenever someone says merci. Smiling or nodding are perfectly acceptable substitutes. But saying ‘you’re welcome’ allows you to express yourself in no uncertain terms.

There’s more than one way to say ‘you’re welcome’ in French, and the meanings and circumstances change slightly for each one, so it's well worth learning all of them. Below we explain the differences and show you how and when to use these different phrases to say 'You're welcome!'

De rien

By far the most common way to say 'You're welcome'. You can use it in pretty much any scenario. It roughly means 'It's nothing'.

Pas de problème

‘No problem’. This is slightly more informal but acceptable in most situations.

Pas de souci

‘No worries’. Similar to Pas de problème, this is a slightly informal way to say 'You're welcome'.

Avec plaisir

'With pleasure'. This might come across as somewhat stiff and formal in English, but in French it's a friendly way to say 'You're welcome'.

Ça me fait plaisir

This is a handy way of saying 'My pleasure'.

Je vous en prie

This is a more formal way to say 'You're welcome'. Translated literally, it means roughly 'I implore you for it', but of course it sounds a lot more natural in French. Still, best reserved for formal situations, such as when you're speaking to a stranger or work colleague. If you want to be more informal, for instance when speaking to a friend or family member, you can say Je t’en prie - but this is still a very polite way to express yourself.

Il n’y a pas de quoi

This is a bit old-fashioned, but you may encounter it in (older) media. Like de rien, it's a way of saying 'It's nothing'. You may also see or hear it in abbreviated form, as simply Pas de quoi.

A note on bienvenue: In some parts of Canada you may hear people say Bienvenue to mean 'You're welcome'. This is a borrowing from English, where the word 'welcome' has a few different meanings. In mainland France, however, say Bienvenue to mean 'You're welcome' doesn't make sense, so it's best to stick to the phrases above!