German · Real conversations
How to respond to “Danke!” in German
A reply to thanks acknowledges the other person's appreciation. Several natural choices work, with different levels of warmth.
What you might hear
Danke!
Thank you!
Choose a reply that fits
Bitte.
You're welcome.
A broadly useful acknowledgment.
Ich helfe gern.
Happy to help.
Use after helping someone willingly.
Das war doch nichts.
It was nothing.
A modest reply after a small favor.
Danke dir auch.
Thank you, too.
Return thanks when appreciation is mutual.
Two short exchanges
A small favor
Danke!
Thank you!
Bitte.
You're welcome.
Someone thanking you for help
Danke für deine Hilfe.
Thanks for your help.
Ich helfe gern.
Happy to help.
Your turn
Reply modestly after a small favor that was easy for you.
Reveal a sample reply
Das war doch nichts.
It was nothing.
This response guide in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
