The English language is a language that depends on courtesy and civility. Therefore it’s important to learn polite phrases in English. And sometimes students learning English struggle with the many phrases and words. There seem to be so many you can use in polite situations. There are after all over 170 000 words in current use in the English language. So selecting the correct ones to sound polite, can be tricky.
Some of the most important elements of being and sounding polite are being gracious and saying ‘thank you’ when given something. Use the phrases to thank someone, formally and informally, in English.
Use ‘Thank You’ in English in Different Ways
- There are many derivatives of the phrase ‘thank you’. You can dress it up or down to sound polite or less formal. You can say ‘thanks’ and ‘thanks a ton’ when speaking to a friend. Or say ‘thank you very much’ and ‘thank you kindly’ in a more formal situation.
Informally Say ‘Thank You’ in English
- Another informal phrase one can use is ‘I owe you’, while ‘I am eternally indebted to you’ is the very formal way of saying the same thing. Just be wary of the formal phrase because if said with the incorrect intonation, it can sound insincere and sarcastic.
- ‘Cheers’, is a colloquial way of saying thank you, used both in South Africa and the UK. This may be confusing because it is also the word you say to wish someone good health when toasting a drink.
- ‘Ta’ is a very informal word used in British English. This you would need to use only with friends or family as some people might feel you are being cheeky or disrespectful if used in the wrong situation.
Formally Say ‘Thank You’ in English
- ‘Much obliged’ is quite an old-fashioned way to thank someone and once again, you need to be careful to sound sincere.
There are hundreds more ways to say ‘thank you’ in English. The most important thing to remember is to be sincere and to really mean it when you thank someone. Even the best words and vocabulary can fall flat when used with the wrong tone. Thanks a million for reading this post! Read our next post on how to say ‘you’re welcome’ in English.