How do you say you’re welcome in Italian?
Prego
| Words you should know | Pregare (to beg) |
| When to use this | It’s pretty universal |
Prego
You’re welcome
For example, you can say:
Grazie per avermi aiutato a pulire il prato. – Prego.
Thank you for helping me clean the lawn. – You are welcome.
Ti ringrazio per il tuo aiuto. – Prego.
I thank you for your help. – You are welcome.
Prego can also translate please in polite settings:
- You’re inviting someone to sit down
Prego, si sieda pure. Please, have a seat.
- You’re welcoming someone in your home
Prego, entri pure. Please, get inside.
- You’re holding the door for someone
Prego, dopo di lei. Please, after you.
When you don’t understand and want someone to repeat themselves, you can say Prego? with an upward intonation. This is the equivalent of the English sorry? or pardon?.
Prego?
Pardon?
Depending on intonation and body language, this is also used to express bewilderment, similar to the English come again? or I beg your pardon?.
Lei è un ignorante! – … prego?
You are ignorant! – … I beg your pardon?
Some other times, but not very often, someone might tell you prego? with an upward intonation, for example a particularly polite waiter at an Italian restaurant. This is no way to say you’re welcome in Italian, but an expression meaning are you ready to order?.
Di nulla, di niente
| Words you should know | Nulla/niente (nothing) |
| When to use this | Very common, a bit more polite than prego |
Di nulla
It was nothing
Literally: Of nothing
Di niente
It was nothing
Literally: Of nothing
You can use di niente and di nulla to stress that whatever you did was no inconvenience to you.
Grazie per avermi riparato la macchina! – Di nulla!
Thank you for fixing my car! – Don’t mention it!
E di che?
| Words you should know | E (and) + che (what, that) |
| When to use this | More informal than prego |
E di che? could be translated into English as “what for?”.
Ideally, you would use this to stress that doing something was no problem to you and that there’s nothing to be thankful for because your help was almost due.
E di che?
What [are you thankful] for?
Literally: And of what?
Non c’è di che
| Words you should know | Esserci (to be there) |
| When to use this | More formal than prego |
When you want to sound very polite, use non c’è di che. It is more formal than prego and you’ll make a good impression (fare bella figura). Literally, this would be there is nothing of what, so it has to be taken figuratively.
It is the contracted form of non c’è di che ringraziare, which literally means there is nothing to thank for. Since the sentence is missing a vital part, there is no literal translation to English.
Non c’è di che
Don’t mention it
Non c’è (nessun) problema
| Words you should know | Nessuno (no, any) + problema (problem) |
| When to use this | More formal than prego |
This comes in two variants: non c’è problema and non c’è nessun problema, and translates to there is no problem.
Non c’è problema
No problem
Literally: There is no problem
Non c’è nessun problema
No problem
Literally: There is no problem
You may also hear the shortened version of this expression, nessun problema, meaning no problem.
Do not translate no problem with no problema or even no problemo. These are WRONG.
Grazie per non aver detto niente ai miei. – Non c’è problema.
Thank you for not saying anything to my parents. – No problem.
Ci mancherebbe (altro)
| Words you should know | Mancare (to miss) + altro (other) |
| When to use this | More formal than prego |
Ci mancherebbe and ci mancherebbe altro are neutral you’re welcome expressions. They are not used as often as prego or di nulla, but you will still hear them often enough. They can be used in informal settings, but you will more commonly hear then in formal situations.
Ci mancherebbe
Don’t mention it, my pleasure
Literally: There would miss (other)
Ci mancherebbe altro
Don’t even mention it, my pleasure
Literally: There would miss something else
You’re stressing that there’s no other way things could have unfolded. You were basically obliged to help that person.
Grazie di avermi ascoltato. – Ci mancherebbe altro.
Thank you for listening to me. – Don’t even mention it.
Figurati, si figuri
| Words you should know | Figurare (to imagine) |
| When to use this | Comes in two variants, polite and informal |
Figurati is used in informal situations only. Si figuri is used in formal contexts only.
They are based off of the verb figurarsi, to imagine oneself. This is the puzzling way to say you’re welcome in Italian that we’ve seen at the beginning of our lesson. Taken literally, it makes no sense at all as it’s a figure of speech.
Figurati
Don’t mention it, no problem
Literally: Figure/imagine yourself
Grazie per avermi dato un passaggio. – Figurati.
Thank you for giving me a ride. – Don’t mention it.
Figurati is very common between friends, almost as common as prego.
You can use si figuri in any formal situation as it is very polite. Don’t use figurati when talking to strangers because it’s informal.
Si figuri
Don’t mention it
Literally: Figure/imagine yourself
These expressions aren’t only used to translate you’re welcome in Italian. When a friend thanks you for a gift, for example, replying with figurati is much more common than with prego.
Grazie del regalo! – Figurati!
Thanks for the gift! – Don’t mention it!
Figurati / si figuri are also used when you want to convey the message that you did something out of pleasure.
Grazie per avermi aiutato! – Figurati!
Thanks for helping me! – Don’t mention it!
Finally, you can also use them instead of thanks to politely refuse an offer by a friend.
Vuoi che ti accompagni fino a casa? – Ma no, figurati!
Do you want me to accompany you home? – No, don’t even mention it!
Ma figurati is no way to say you’re welcome in Italian. When you hear this expression, the speaker is actually conveying disbelief, similar to the English please! when accompanied by rolling eyes.
Pensi che Marco abbia pulito i piatti? – Ma figurati!
Do you think Marco washed the dishes? – Please!
Laura avrà finito i compiti? – Ma figurati!
Will Laura have finished her homework? – Please!
Per così poco
| Words you should know | Poco (little) |
| When to use this | Not very common, but universal |
Per così poco literally translates to for so little and you use it when you want to convey the message that you did something out of kindness and it was only natural for you to do it.
Per così poco
Don’t mention it
Literally: For so little
Ma ti pare!
| Words you should know | Parare (to seem, to look like) |
| When to use this | Only in informal settings |
This is an informal way to say you’re welcome in Italian. It comes from parere, to seem. Translated into English, this doesn’t make any sense at all: but do you figure!.
This expression has a hidden meaning: ma ti pare che ci sia da ringraziare? or ma ti pare che sia il caso di ringraziarmi?, translating to does it look like to you that there is anything to be thankful for?.
You’re basically stressing that there’s absolutely no need to say thank you for what you’ve done.
Ma ti pare!
Don’t mention it!
Literally: But do you figure!
Ma scherzi!
| Words you should know | Scherzare (to joke) |
| When to use this | Only in informal settings |
Ma scherzi! is an exclamation that comes from the verb scherzare, meaning to joke. It is suitable to use only in informal situations.
If we wanted to use this in a formal setting, the polite version of it would be ma scherza!, but no such customary expression exists to say you’re welcome in Italian.
Ma scherzi!
Don’t mention it!
Literally: But are you joking!
È stato un piacere
| Words you should know | Piacere (pleasure) |
| When to use this | Common in formal settings |
Finally, we have è stato un piacere, which literally means it has been a pleasure, from piacere meaning pleasure.
This one is more commonly used in formal situations, but sometimes you can hear it among friends as well. It is also common to hear it along with other ways to say you are welcome in Italian.
È stato un piacere
It was a pleasure
Grazie per l’aiuto! – Figurati, è stato un piacere.
Thank you for your help! – You’re welcome, it was my pleasure.
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