Latin Americans are extremely polite people. If you have plans to travel to any Spanish-speaking countries in the near future, or simply have Spanish-speaking friends, you must learn the many ways there are to say “thank you” in Spanish.
Some are quite simple, and some will need that you clean the dust off your old High School Spanish class notebook to understand them; they’re all useful!
These are 13 ways to say “thank you” in Spanish:
1. Gracias
Your every day, standard way to say “thank you” in Spanish.
This is a word you probably learned on your first day of Spanish class, so you definitely don’t need me to explain it.
No matter what Spanish-speaking country you visit, “gracias” will never let you down.
- “Recibí el pago ayer, ¡gracias!” : “I received the payment yesterday, thank you!”.
2. Mil gracias
Ever felt so grateful, that you thought one “thanks”, or “thank you” wasn’t enough?
Well, there’s a Spanish word for that!
“Mil” means “a thousand”, so “Mil gracias” is basically a way to say thank you a thousand times.
It should come as no surprise that us Latinos have specific words for showing our gratitude in copious amounts; after all, we’re famous for our warm and welcoming nature!
- “Mil gracias por encontrar a mi perro, ¡creí que lo había perdido para siempre!” : “Thank you so much for finding my dog, I thought I’d lost him forever!”.
Related: 20 Ways to say dog in Spanish like a native speaker.
3. Muchas Gracias – Muchísimas Gracias
Did you think we were done with over-the-top ways to say “thank you” in Spanish? Well…guess again!
“Muchas/Muchísimas gracias”, is an expression that denotes gratefulness to an extreme level, you could think of it as the twin brother of “Mil gracias”.
In Spanish, the suffix “ísimo” is used to describe an exaggerated form of something.
For example:
- “Grande” : “big”.
- “Grandísimo” : “Huge, or very big”.
Following this logic, if we add “ísimo” to “Mucha”, which is the female form to say “plenty of”, we get “Muchísimas”, so we’re basically saying “plenty of thanks”.
- “¡Muchísimas gracias por mi regalo, lo amé!” : “Thank you so much for my gift, I loved it!”.
4. Gracias por todo
This one in particular is very situational. While no one would argue that “Gracias por todo” can be used anywhere, and anytime to say “thank you” in Spanish, native speakers save it for certain occasions.
Whenever I say goodbye to my friends after getting together for some wine and a chat, I usually thank them by saying “Gracias por todo”.
You can see this expression as a way of thanking your hosts for everything during a wonderful night.
- “La pasé increíble, ¡gracias por todo!” : “I had a wonderful time, thanks for everything!”.
5. Gracias totales
This expression, as opposed to others in this list, is much more area-restricted.
You’ll be hard-pressed to hear this in countries like Mexico, for example. “Gracias totales” is widely used in countries like Argentina and Uruguay.
The literal English translation would be “Total thanks”.
- “Me encantó ver fútbol contigo, gracias totales por invitarme” : “I loved watching footbal with you, thanks a lot for inviting me”.
6. Gracias de todo corazón
It would almost seem like as we progress down this list of words to say “thank you” in Spanish, the expressions grow more and more intense in terms of gratitude.
“Gracias de todo corazón” is not something you’d say to your everyday Joe for giving you a cup of coffee or answering a question.
This expression means “thank you with all my heart”, so I only use it when I’m really grateful, or even in debt to a person.
- “Doctor, salvó la vida de mi madre, ¡gracias de todo corazón!” : “Doctor, you saved my mother’s life, thank you with all my heart!”.
Related: How to say mom in Spanish like a native speaker.
7. Gracias de todos modos
What do you say when you apply for a job and don’t get hired? Sure, there’s disappointment and frustration, but you should still be grateful for the opportunity, right?
“Gracias de todos modos” is a way to say “thank you” in Spanish when things don’t go your way, but you still want to be polite.
Its English equivalent is “thanks anyway”.
- “Sé que no me quedé con el trabajo, pero aprecio la oportunidad de que me tomaran en cuenta. Gracias de todos modos” : “I know I didn’t get the job, but I appreciate being considered. Thanks anyway”.
8.Te agradezco/Se lo agradezco
This is where things might get a little tricky, especially for non-native speakers.
“Te lo agradezco/Se lo agradezco” are expressions used in two different versions of the 2nd person singular to say “thank you” in Spanish.
“Te lo agradezco” is a more familiar expression that pertains to the first version of the 2nd person singular “tú”, whereas “Se lo agradezco”, which pertains to the second version, “usted”, is much more respectful.
You’d normally use the latter when referring to your elders or strangers on the street.
- “Desde que nos hicimos amigos, siempre me has apoyado, ¡te lo agradezco!” : “Ever since we became friends, you’ve had my back, thank you!”.
- “Creí que había perdido mi cartera en la calle, pero usted me la devolvió, ¡se lo agradezco!” : “I thought I’d lost my wallet on the street, but you’ve returned it to me, thank you!”.
9.Te agradezco mucho/Se lo agradezco mucho
A slight variation of the previous expression. Adding “mucho”, or “a lot” in English, emphasizes on how grateful we are. This is also used in both versions of the 2nd person singular (tú, usted) in Spanish, depending on who you’re talking to.
- “Creí que reprobaría Matemáticas, pero estudiaste conmigo y por eso pase, ¡te lo agradezco mucho!” : “I thought I’d fail Math, but I passed because you studied with me, thank you so much!”.
- “Ahora que me lo explicó de nuevo, lo entiendo perfectamente, profesor, ¡se lo agradezco mucho!” : “Now that you’ve explained it again, I understand, professor, thank you so much!”.
10.Muy amable
I can’t stress this enough. Us Latin Americans will take any chance we get to show that we’re grateful, even in small, meaningless situations.
“Muy amable” can be used to say “thank you” in Spanish when someone fulfills a request you made, or does something nice for you.
Related: 4 Totally different ways to say for you in Spanish.
This is an expression that shows gratitude, but doesn’t carry a lot of intensity, as opposed to others like “Gracias de todo corazón”.
For example:
- “Primo, ¿me pasarías las papas, por favor?” : “Cousin, could you please pass the potatoes?”.
- “Claro, aquí tienes” : “Of course, here you go”.
- “Muy amable” : “Thanks”.
11. Muy amable de tu parte – Muy amable de su parte
Yet another variation of a previous expression.
“Muy amable de tu parte”, is not as common nowadays as it used to be.
These days, the Spanish language has evolved into a more simple form, and while you might still hear this variant of the expression here and there, you’ll find the shorter “Muy amable” is more popular.
And if you thought we were done with the first and second versions of the 2nd person singular (tú, usted), you got another thing coming!
This expression is commonly used as a way to replace “very nice of you”, in English.
For example:
- “Aprecio que me hayas prestado tu cuaderno de Matemáticas, fue muy amable de tu parte” : “I appreciate that you let me borrow your Math notebook, it was very nice of you”.
- “Fue muy amable de su parte posponer la tarea, profesor” : “It was very nice if you to postpone the homework delivery date, teacher”.
12. ¡Qué amable!
Do you believe me now when I say that us Latin Americans have a million different ways to say “thank you” in Spanish with the same word?
“¡Qué amable!” is just the enthusiastic version of “Muy amable”.
You can use this to show gratitude if you’re in a really good mood and want to thank someone with an expression that’s more energetic than a bland “Muy amable”.
- “¿Entonces conseguí el trabajo? Gracias por llamar para avisarme, ¡que amable!” : “So I got the job? Thank you for calling, that’s very nice of you!”.
13. Aprecio mucho tu…(esfuerzo, cariño, amistad, etc.)
This last expression is extremely versatile. It can be combined with virtually anything to show our gratitude.
“Aprecio mucho tu…”, which translates to “I really appreciate your…” is a way to let someone know that you value something they did for you.
For example:
- “Aprecio mucho tus palabras, estoy triste, pero me has ayudado mucho” : “I really appreciate your words, I’m sad, but you’ve helped a lot”.
- “Aprecio mucho tu ayuda, me hubiera tomado el doble de tiempo cortar el césped sin ti” : “I really appreciate your help, it would’ve taken me a very long time to mow the lawn without you”.
- “En serio aprecio mucho tu esfuerzo por venir, sé que está lloviendo mucho” : “I seriously appreciate the effort you made for coming, it’s raining cats and dogs out there”.
A peace of advice
I need to highlight this for you: mind your manners when you speak Spanish. These words:
- Por favor (please)
- And Gracias (thank you)
Or any version of “thank you” in Spanish will make you sound good and proper.
If you use them, people will perceive that you are a respectful and a decent person.
There’s nothing more offensive for latinos than talking aggressively, giving commands, and not showing a little appreciation for other people.
So, please, please, please, use the phrases in this list. Trust me, YOU NEED THEM.
Conclusion
Being grateful is a very important thing. It’s completely free to be nice and kind to others, so, why don’t we do it more often?
It takes only a couple of seconds to say “thank you” or show our appreciation to someone, and even something that might seem unimportant to us, could make someone else’s day.
I want to encourage you to go out there and say thank you to all the people that make your life special.
Saying “thank you” in Spanish-speaking countries is not only a very important thing, it’s a part of our culture. Whenever you travel to a Latin American country, show your appreciation for the people that are doing nice things for you. I promise that they’ll love it!.
This language is vast and full of wonderful variations, and thus, there might be a couple of different other ways to say thank you in Spanish that I might have missed. Free to tell me in the comments about any other ways you know of thanking someone in Spanish!
