'Gracias' and Other Words for Saying 'Thank You'

Preposition 'Por' Used With Object of Gratitude

hands opening a gift

PeopleImages / Getty Images

Chances are that one of the first words you learned in Spanish is gracias, the most common way to say "thanks" or "thank you." Gracias is, of course, a useful word and should top any list of words Spanish students should learn.

How To Use Gracias, a Word for Thanks

If you wish to indicate what you're giving thanks for, use the preposition por to mean "for": Gracias por el regalo, which means thank you for the gift.

If you want to say "thank you very much," you can use muchas gracias or even muchísimas gracias. Also common is mil gracias, literally "a thousand thanks."

As you might guess, gracias is closely connected with—technically, it's a cognate—the English word "grace." The connection can be seen most easily if you remember that giving a prayer of thanks before a meal is sometimes known as saying grace. Gracia, the singular form of gracias, also has some of the other meanings of "grace."

Some examples of how gracias can be used:

  • Gracias por ser quien eres. (Thank you for being who you are.)
  • Gracias por tu comprensión. (Thanks for your understanding.)
  • Gracias a las lluvias de este año hemos podido disfrutar de estas cascadas. (Thanks to this year's rains we have been able to enjoy these waterfalls.)
  • Gracias, mi amigo, por todo lo que me das. (Thank you, my friend, for everything you give me.)
  • Sobre todo, te doy las gracias por hacerme muy feliz. (Above all, I give you thanks for making me very happy.)
  • Estas gracias son también para todos vosotros. (These thanks are also for all of you.)
  • ¡Un millón de gracias a nuestros patrocinadores! (A million thanks to our sponsors!)
  • Muchas gracias por su solicitud. (Thank you very much for your application.)
  • Te ofrezco mis gracias sinceras. (I offer you my sincere thanks.)

Agradecer and Related Words

If you've gone beyond learning the basics of Spanish, you also can use the verb agradecer, which is used to express gratitude, appreciation or thanks. Two related words are also in common use: agradecido (grateful, appreciative or thankful) and agradecimiento (appreciation or gratitude).

Note that agradecer is irregularly conjugated if you're speaking about yourself in the present tense. So agradezco is the form to use to say something such as "I am grateful" or "I appreciate." Following the conjugation pattern of conocer, it is also irregular in some other forms you're less likely to use.

  • Te agradezco el regalo. (I appreciate the gift.)
  • Me siento agradecido (agradecida if you're female) por el regalo. (I feel grateful for the gift.)
  • Estoy agradecido (agradecida if you're female) por el regalo. (I am grateful for the gift.)
  • Quizás no estaban agradecidos por el favor que hice por ellos. (Perhaps they never appreciated the favor that you did for them.)
  • Les agradecemos por su donación para los niños. (We appreciate your donation for the children.)
  • Me dijo que me agradecía mucho por el fin de semana. (She told me that she was grateful to me for the weekend.)
  • Los propietarios merecen muchos agradecimientos por su generosidad. (The owners deserve much appreciation for their generosity.)
  • Es importante que cada familia cree una cultura de agradecimiento. (Is it important that each family create a culture of gratitude.)
Format
mla apa chicago
Your Citation
Erichsen, Gerald. "'Gracias' and Other Words for Saying 'Thank You'." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/saying-thanks-in-spanish-3078364. Erichsen, Gerald. (2023, April 5). 'Gracias' and Other Words for Saying 'Thank You'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/saying-thanks-in-spanish-3078364 Erichsen, Gerald. "'Gracias' and Other Words for Saying 'Thank You'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/saying-thanks-in-spanish-3078364 (accessed March 28, 2024).