Express Gratitude In Italian
Italians like to say ‘grazie‘ every time they get the chance, as it is a sign of good manners.
Learn how to express your gratitude like a native with these 24 different ways!
Being polite is one of the most important ways to demonstrate your respect for another culture and its people.
There is no social etiquette more important than expressing gratitude, whether it’s for holding a door open or for an attentive waiter who just brought the greatest piece of pasta alla carbonara you’ve ever had.
While there are some standard Italian sayings like grazie that may get the job done, learning how to say thanks is about more than figuring out the fastest or easiest gesture of appreciation.
How To Say Thank You In Italian: The Easiest Way
How to say thank you in Italian?
You already know that, right?
The most common way to say thank you is ‘grazie.’ It can be used in every situation, both formal and informal.
It’s the English equivalent of ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you,’ and if you go ahead and say it in the friendliest way possible, your message will be received.
Of course, you will need to work towards pronouncing it right, as you may end up saying ‘grazia‘ instead of ‘grazie.’
What Is The Difference Between ‘Grazie’ And ‘Grazia’?
Even though they basically look the same, they are two different words with different meanings.
‘Grazie’ is the plural form of ‘grazia,’ but it doesn’t mean that they are interchangeable.
‘Grazia’ means ‘grace’, and it can’t be used as a thank you in Italian. Also, if you capitalize it, you will end up with ‘Grazia’ which is a popular Italian name.
A Note on Mispronunciation
The letter “e” is essential.
There’s an “e” at the end of grazie, as you’ve probably noticed.
It’s not grazi nor is it grassi (Italian for “fat”—not a good approach to making new friends.)
It isn’t gracias (Spanish for “thank you”; not the best way to make new friends in Italy).
Make sure the “e” at the end of grazie is pronounced correctly. It sounds like an eh, and if you sound out the whole word, it’s pronounced GRAHT-see-eh.
The basic term for “thank you” in Italian is always grazie, regardless of the region or dialect.
Many new learners make the mistake of omitting the “e,” which can easily become a terrible habit.
When To Use ‘Grazie’
Using ‘grazie’ as thank you is the most simple option you have, and you can’t fail with it.
You can use it in both formal and informal situations.
You can use it to thank one person, or many at a time; you can use it in restaurants when someone holds the door open for you or simply as a ‘yes, thank you!’ Or ‘yes, please.’
Vuoi una fetta di torta? – Would you like a piece of cake?
Sì, grazie! – Yes, please!
You can say ‘grazie’ when you want to accept or refuse an offer.
In English, you have different structures for accepting and refusing, such as ‘yes, please’ and ‘no, thanks.’
Italians use the word ‘grazie’ in both situations: ‘si, grazie’ and ‘no, grazie.’
Posso offrirti un caffè? – Can I buy you a coffee?
Sì, grazie! / No, grazie. – Sure, thank you! / No, thanks.
‘Grazie’ is an ironic / sarcastic response
Many Italian learners are unaware that grazie can also be used ironically in reaction to a statement’s obviousness, as in the example below.
Some English translations include it’s not surprising, of course, and no wonder.
Stefano si è comprato una Ferrari? Grazie, con tutti i soldi che ha!
Stefano bought a Ferrari?! – No wonder with all the money he has!
Of course, there are a few other ways of saying thank you in the Italian language.
Did you know that…? Grazie is an ellipsis of the phrase “Vi rendo grazie” (I give you thanks), which became popular in spoken Italian in the nineteenth century. Source: Accademia della Crusca
How to say thank you very much?
Of course, the most comfortable choice for thank you is ‘grazie.’
But there are also a few other ways to express gratitude towards others.
Sometimes it may feel like ‘grazie’ is not enough for what you’re trying to express, and it’s only natural for anyone to start learning new ways of doing it.
Here are a few ways of saying ‘thank you very much’ in Italian.
Grazie Mille / Mille Grazie
Grazie mille per la cena. Era buonissima!
Thank you very much for dinner. It was delicious.
These are variants of ‘thank you very much’ and can be translated as ‘a thousand thanks.’
Although ‘mille’ sounds like the English ‘million’, it actually means ‘thousand,’ and you can see more about the numbers in Italian to find out more.
Molte Grazie
Molte grazie literally means ‘many thanks’.
In comparison to mille grazie, this statement is less strong and more informal. However, in Italian, it is still a common way of saying “thank you very much.”
Here is an example:
Molte grazie per il tuo aiuto.
Thank you very much for your help.
Tante Grazie/Grazie Tante
Alternatively, you can use these:
- Ti ringrazio tanto.
- Grazie tante.
These two mean ‘thank you so much.’ In Italian, ‘tanto’ and ‘tante’ mean ‘much’ or ‘a lot.’
‘Ti ringrazio tanto’ can only be used when you want to thank a single person and can’t be used if you want to thank a group of people.
This is because of the word ‘ti’, which refers to the singular form of ‘you.’
If you are in a group though, you will want to use ‘vi ringrazio tanto.’
Tante grazie per la tua e-mail!
Thank you very much for your e-mail!
On some occasions, ‘grazie tante’ can be used sarcastically, so you may want to pay attention to the tone of your voice when saying it.
Grazie tante per avermi pestato il piede.
Thanks a lot for stepping on my foot.
Grazie Infinite
Another expression for saying thank you in Italian is ‘grazie infinite.’ It literally means ‘Infinite thanks’.
Make sure you pronounce the word right. In English, you wouldn’t say the ‘e’ at the end of ‘infinite,’ but Italians always pronounce it.
You can use this expression when someone does something impressive for you, and you need a way to express your gratitude for it.
Grazie infinite per avermi aiutato.
Thank you so much for helping me.
Grazie Di Tutto
‘Grazie di tutto’ is another way of saying thank you in Italian.
It means ‘thanks for everything,’ and you can use it when someone helps you do something.
You can use it to put emphasis the fact that you truly appreciate what someone did for you and his or her commitment.
E ancora, grazie di tutto.
Once more, thank you for everything.
Grazie Di Cuore
‘Grazie di cuore’ can be used when someone really takes the extra mile into helping you.
It means ‘thank you from the bottom of my heart’ or ‘thanks with all my heart,’ and it’s beautiful in Italian to use it whenever given a chance.
Grazie di cuore per questa bella serata.
My heartfelt thanks for this wonderful evening.
When you truly want to embrace the language of love, use grazie di cuore to earn extra points for sincerity.
Non avresti dovuto
if you have to say “thanks a lot” after receiving a present, don’t forget about the extra emotion that Italians sprinkle on everything.
Make sure to let your friends know that you’re very flattered that they thought of getting you something.
Italians frequently skip over “thank you” to get to the “you shouldn’t have” phase of gratitude.
Non avresti dovuto (“you shouldn’t have”) and ma non avresti dovuto (“but you shouldn’t have”) are common Italian phrases used to react when receiving a gift.
They are a way to say that the gift was unexpected and is gratefully received.
They are short for non avresti dovuto comprare niente (“you shouldn’t have bought anything”) or related terms.

Formal Ways To Say Thank You In Italian
Of course, there are ways you can say a formal thank you in Italian, and it’s important to know them.
‘La ringrazio tanto’ is the formal way of saying ‘thank you very much.’
Earlier we saw ‘ti ringrazio tanto,’ which is formal because of the word’ ti.’
In Italian, there are a lot of different pronouns you can use for formal and informal situations.
Sometimes you need to be professional; other times, you need to be as friendly as possible.
Use ‘la ringrazio tanto’ when you’re talking with an older person or with someone you just met.
Remember that you can’t use it when you’re talking to more than one person.
For that, you can use ‘vi ringrazio tanto’ which is a formal way to say ‘thank you’ to the whole group.
La ringrazio molto per il suo consiglio, signor giudice.
Thank you very much for your advice, Your Honour.
How To Say “Thanks For…”
Of course, you may sometimes need to say ‘thank you’ for a specific thing.
In general, ‘grazie’ means ‘thanks for’ and should be followed by a verb or noun.
This structure can be tricky, and English speakers may have trouble forming the correct one.
Here are a few examples of wrong forms of ‘thank you in Italian:
- Grazie di chiamare – Thanks for calling
- Grazie per cucinare – Thanks for cooking
- Grazie di aiutarmi – Thanks for helping
Even though this is a very popular structure, it’s wrong.
In order for it to be correct needs to have the word ‘grazie’ followed by ‘di/per’, the infinitive form of the auxiliary verb, and ending with the past participle of the verb.
The correct structures are as follows:
- Grazie di aver chiamato – Thanks for calling
- Grazie per aver cucinato – Thanks for cooking
- Grazie di avermi aiutato – Thanks for helping
Or, you can also use this alternative structure: grazie + di / per + noun
- Grazie della chiamata – Thanks for the call
- Grazie per il pranzo – Thanks for the lunch
- Grazie dell’aiuto – Thanks for the help
- Grazie per l’invito – Thanks for having us
The Noun “Thanks” in Italian: Ringraziamento
The noun “thanks” in Italian is ringraziamento, but it is mostly used in the plural form if you want to show appreciation: ringraziamenti.
When you use it to show gratitude, it becomes more polite and courteous than if you merely say grazie.
They are often used in written form or during speeches.
Here are two examples of a phrase using ringraziamenti.
I miei ringraziamenti.
All my gratitude.
Porgo i miei più sinceri ringraziamenti.
I offer you my sincerest thanks.
Other Ways Of Saying Thanks In Italian
Maybe you were asking an Italian man for directions, and he didn’t speak English but went out of his way to assist you and simply drove you there.
Maybe you realized you had forgotten your bag at the restaurant and turned around to see the waiter running towards you shouting “‘Signora! Signora! La borsa!”.
Or maybe you were tired of taking selfies and found a sweet Nonna who took that perfect photo for you.
These are different ways (formal and informal) to tell people how much you appreciate their kindness.
È molto gentile da parte tua.
That’s very kind of you.
Lei è molto gentile (formal) – Sei molto gentile (informal)
You are very kind.
Molto gentile da parte sua (formal) – Molto gentile da parte tua (informal)
Very kind of you.
or my favorite one, a simple word:
Gentilissimo! (m) or Gentilissima! (f)
A few additional expressions you might find useful in daily conversation are:
- grazie e arrivederci – thank you and goodbye
- grazie ancora – thanks again
- grazie di nuovo – thanks again
- grazie comunque – thanks anyway
- grazie lo stesso – thanks anyway / all the same
- grazie a Dio – thank God
- grazie al cielo – thank goodness
- grazie in anticipo – thank you in advance
These are the most popular forms of thank you, but let’s also see how to respond to it!
How To Respond To Grazie In Italian?
The most common answer for thank you is ‘prego.’
It means ‘you’re welcome,’ and it’s the first person singular of the present tense of the verb ‘pregare’, which means ‘to pray.’
It can be used to say ‘you’re welcome’ to one person or to a group of people.
Mi passi il sale, per favore? – Would you pass me the salt, please?
Ecco a te! – Here you are!
Grazie! – Thanks!
Prego! – You are welcome!
Another word you can use instead of ‘prego’ is ‘di niente.’
When you’re saying ‘di niente’ you’re saying ‘it’s nothing.’
Other structures you can use are:
- Non c’è di che (formal)
- E di che (informal)
- Di nulla (informal)
All of these have a similar meaning to “it’s nothing” or “no big deal”.
You can use one of these sentences to reply to ‘thank you’ in Italian.
If you want to minimize the importance of what the person is thanking you for, let him or her understand that it wasn’t a hassle for you.
You can also say ‘Non c’è problema’, which means “no problem”.
If you want to reject an offer, you can politely answer “no, grazie“, as in “no, thank you”.
Now that you know…
So, now you know how to say thank you in Italian and how to properly respond to someone who is thanking you.
If you want to learn Italian from English, use these sincerely and often, and you will bring a smile to any face!
Whether you’re a student about to start learning in Italy or you need to learn Italian for yourself, this will definitely help you improve your vocabulary and understanding of the Italian language.
Now, learn how to say how you are in Italian, please in Italian, sorry in Italian, I love you in Italian, cheers in Italian, hello in Italian, and Goodbye in Italian!
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