6

In English, "thank you" (with the stress on the you) is often used in response to someone who has just said "thank you", to reciprocate gratitude. For example, someone providing a service usually says "thank you" to the customer benefiting from the service. An appreciative customer would say "thank you" to humbly suggest they should be the one "giving thanks" (for the service).

Example - A waiter or maître d' of a restaurant is saying goodbye to a customer

Waiter: Thank you! (for dining with us)

Diner: No, thank you!

I'm wondering what, if any, the Italian equivalent to this would be? Would it be a te? Would something like the following ever be used?

Waiter: Arrivederci, grazie!

Diner: (No,) a te!

Improve this question
1
  • 2
    Welcome on ItalianSE!!!
    – abarisone
    Mar 30, 2019 at 7:31

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4

The equivalent answer could be:

Waiter: Arrivederci, grazie!
Diner: No, grazie a te!

You could also answer grazie a voi in order to include all the personnel involved in the service or grazie a Lei since in Italian there are two address forms and “Lei” is the formal one.

In general you can also omit No just saying Grazie a te/Lei/voi or even just A te/Lei/voi. (Thanks @Charo and @DaG)

Improve this answer
2
  • That's OK, but I think you can also answer "A te!" (or "A voi!" or "A lei!") with "grazie" omitted.
    – Charo ♦
    Mar 30, 2019 at 11:01
  • 1
    I wouldn't say at all “No”, but just “(Grazie) a te/lei/voi!”.
    – DaG
    Mar 30, 2019 at 11:39

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.