A common German saying is höflichkeit ist die halbe Miete (politeness is half the rent), so after you get comfortable with how to say “thank you” in German, “you’re welcome” in German should be your next natural step. Just like in English, the German language is full of ways to respond to the common danke (thank you). Find out what these German phrases for “you’re welcome” are and what level of formality they work best with.
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Don’t confuse ‘you’re welcome’ in German with wilkommen
In English, the word “welcome” can be used as an invitation to come inside or as a polite way to say “you’re welcome.” Wilkommen means “welcome” in German, as in “welcome inside.” You could confuse it with “you’re welcome,” which is typically said as bitte in German. Be careful not to mix up the two words or you won’t make much sense to a native German speaker!
15 formal ways to tell someone ‘you’re welcome’ in German
A formal setting in German culture is one where you’re interacting with people older than yourself, adults whom you don’t know, or at a business. If you owned a stall at one of the German Christmas markets, for example, and sold a nice lady a warm glass of Glühwein (mulled wine), you could respond to her statement danke (thank you) with one of these formal, appropriate phrases for “you’re welcome” in German.
| German Phrase | English Translation |
| aber selbstverständlich | but of course |
| aber sicher | but certainly |
| bitte schön | You’re very welcome. |
| bitte sehr | You’re very welcome. |
| Das mache ich doch gerne. | I’m happy to do that. |
| Es war mir ein Vergnügen. | It was a pleasure. |
| gerne geschehen | My pleasure. |
| Ich lebe, um zu dienen. | I live to serve. |
| immer wieder gern | Always happy to help. |
| Immer zu Diensten! | Always at your service! |
| kein Problem | No problem. |
| nicht der Rede wert | not worth mentioning |
| Nichts zu danken. | Nothing to thank me for. |
| schon gut | It’s all good. |
| Selbstverständlich, jederzeit. | Of course, anytime. |
15 ways to say ‘you’re welcome’ in German in casual settings
At the club with your friends or at a nice dinner with your partner, the formal phrases for “you’re welcome” in German above will come across as too stiff and unnatural. When the situation calls for a more relaxed approach, consider one of the casual phrases for “you’re welcome” in German in the table below:
| German Phrase | English Translation |
| Aber sicher doch! | But of course! |
| Ach was, kein Thema. | Oh, it was nothing. |
| Alles gut. | It’s all good. |
| Dafür nicht. | Don’t mention it. |
| Echt kein Ding. | Really, no biggie. |
| Jederzeit! | Anytime! |
| Keen Ding, Alter. | No biggie, dude. |
| kein ding | no big deal |
| klaro | yep |
| Läuft. | It’s cool. (literally, it’s running) |
| logo | totally (slang) |
| na klar | sure thing |
| Nur keine Umstände. | Don’t make a fuss about it. |
| Schon okay. | No worries. |
| War nix. | It was nothing. |
Why don’t you use the word ‘you’ in ‘you’re welcome’ in German?
Keep in mind that “you” in German phrases like these is often dropped for simplicity and because it’s a contextual language. Since it’s clear that “you” are the one who is “welcome,” German efficiency widely dictates that “you” doesn’t always need to be stated. One possible exception is if you’re clarifying who is receiving the welcome from within a group.
How different German dialects say ‘you’re welcome’ to each other
Austrian and German languages, among many other dialects around Germany, have their own ways to say “you’re welcome” throughout Germany and its neighboring nations. See the dialectal ways to say “you’re welcome” in German within the table below so you can mind your manners as you travel throughout Germany.
| German Dialectal Phrase | English Translation | Region |
| D’für ned. | Don’t mention it. | Switzerland |
| Gern gmacht! | Gladly done! | Switzerland |
| Gern gscheh! | You’re welcome. | Southern Germany |
| Koane Ursach. | No big deal. | Bavaria, Austria |
| Mach dir keinen Kopp. | Don’t worry about it. | Berlin |
Some accent marks and slang words for how to say “you’re welcome” in German require some finesse to pronounce properly. If you want to make sure your German accent is coming along correctly, consider checking out the TruAccent speech recognition engine from Rosetta Stone for support on your way to perfect pronunciation.
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