Why do Italians respond to 'grazie' with 'di niente'?
asked Nov 11, 2013 at 20:13
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@I.M., mi sa che sono scomparsi i commenti che c'erano precedentemente qui...– DaGCommented Nov 6, 2015 at 10:40
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@DaG The timeline tells that there was only one comment, and it didn't disappear - it was simply moved below to Gabriele's answer.– I.M.Commented Nov 7, 2015 at 10:10
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Thanks, @I.M. I believed there were more comments here, among which the first one to mention Keine Ursache (before Gabriele's answer). I might mix it up with some other question.– DaGCommented Nov 8, 2015 at 8:22
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2 Answers
Because it means
You have nothing to thank me about
which is somehow equivalent to the English expressions
Don't mention it
Not at all
No worries
and so on.
The idea is minimizing the importance of what the person is thanking you for, letting her understand it wasn't a hassle for you, therefore resulting in a polite expression.
Other alternative forms
Di nulla
Non c'è di che
the latter literally expressing the concept Non c'è di che ringraziarmi
Spanish and Portuguese, as well as French, do the same
De nada
and
De rien
As suggested by I.M. in the comments this is also true in German
Keine Ursache
and Swedish
ingen orsak
and Danish
ingen årsag
answered Nov 11, 2013 at 20:15
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1How about adding "You are welcome" to the proposed list of English expressions? Commented Nov 11, 2013 at 20:33
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4It's made on purpose, as it literally doesn't mean the same thing. All the expressions I listed have in common the negative form, explicitly used to minimize the act itself. Commented Nov 11, 2013 at 20:40
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3Besides "di nulla", also "non c'è di che", which should be the most clear of them all. Commented Nov 11, 2013 at 21:37
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1You dont say "Keine Ursache" in German. NO NO. - Nichts dafür - Gern geschehen - Bitte , etc..– user1904Commented Nov 6, 2015 at 8:26
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2@cristian "keine Ursache" is perfectly fine. Just because it's not used whereever you are doesn't mean it's wrong (I never knew "da nicht für", for example, before I talked to people from Westfalen).– YviDeCommented Mar 29, 2016 at 10:21
It's an equivalent of "Not at all" in British English and "No problem" in American English, used just as a polite but informal reply after someone has thanked you.
