"thank you, thanks" in seven languages
Meaningthank you, thanks
Spanish
/ˈgɾaθjas/
learned
French
/mɛʁsi/
other source · Latin MERCĒDEM 'wages, reward'
Italian
/ˈgrattsje/
learned
Portuguese
/obɾiˈgadu/
other source · Latin OBLIGĀTUM 'bound, obliged'
Literally 'obliged': a woman says obrigada.
Romanian
/multsuˈmesk/
other source · Romanian mulțumi, from mult 'much' (Latin MULTUM)
Catalan
/ˈgɾasiəs/
learned
English
/ˈθæŋk ju/
native English · Old English þancian
The Latin ancestor
GRĀTIĀS‘thanks (acc. pl. of GRĀTIA 'favor')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish and Italian give 'graces', a learned word kept close to Latin. French merci is MERCĒDEM 'wages', which came to mean 'favor, mercy' — the same word as Spanish merced, which in vuestra merced 'your grace' shrank into usted.
English relatives: grace, gratitude, gratis; mercy, mercenary (fr)
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¡Muchas gracias!
- frMerci beaucoup !
- itGrazie mille!
- ptMuito obrigado!
- roMulțumesc mult!
- caMoltes gràcies!
- enThank you very much!