Have you ever wondered how to say thank you in different situations? And when someone said it to you, how can you reply?
Norwegian Academy has listed different ways to say “thank you” in Norwegian. I think they are useful, but this is Norwegian! There is so much more to learn.
Let’s see more ways of how we can say thank you in different situations and how to reply to it!
Thank you in everyday life!
When someone helps you or does something for you.
| Norwegian | (Equivalent) translated version | When to use it! |
| Takk! Takker! Takk skal du ha! Tusen takk! Mange takk! Takk for det! | Thank you. Thanks. Thank you. Thank you very much! (Many( Thank you for that! | Here’s a variety of ways to say thank you in everyday situations. |
| Takk for hjelpen! | Thank you for (your) help! | When someone helps you with something. |
| Hjertelig! | Thank you. Appreciated! | It Is the shortened from “Tusen hjertelig takk” but is less formal and used mostly for everyday conversation. |
Thank you in different situations
| Norwegian | (Equivalent) translated version | When to use it! |
| Tusen hjertelig takk | Thank you deeply (from the bottom of my heart!?) | This is to show that you really appreciate what the other person has done for you. E.g. They might go out of their way to help you and save you in the time of need. |
| Takk for mat/maten! | Thank you for (the) food! | When you finished the food at someone’s house or even a restaurant. |
| Takk for i dag! | Thank you for (everything) today! | Very common! When you are certain that you’re going to meet the person again (soon). |
| Takk for nå! | Thank you for (everything) now! | When you are not certain that you’re going to meet the person again. Or you will meet again but not soon nor as often. |
| Takk for besøket! | Thank you for coming! | When someone has visited you and is about to leave. |
| Takk for meg! | Thank you for (having) me! | When you have visited someone and are about to leave. |
| Takk for sist! | Thank you for the last time! | When you meet someone that you had met before. |
| Takk for skyssen! | Thanks for the ride! | When someone gave you a ride. |
| Takk for praten! | Thanks for the chat! | When you finished a (small) talk or a chat with someone. |
| Takk for lunsj! | Thanks for the lunch! | This one is not so common. However, people in my workplace say it after we sat and had lunch together in a canteen. |
How to reply when someone says thank you to you!
| Norwegian | (Equivalent) translated version | When to use it! |
| Vær så god Bare hyggelig Helt topp! Selvfølgelig! Det går (helt) fint! | You’re welcome. My pleasure. All good! Of course! That’s (totally) alright! | Very common. You can reply to thank you with these phrases in pretty much every situation. |
| Skulle bare mangle! | The least I could do! | This might sound like a lot, but it’s also commonly used to reply to thank you as well. |
| Selv takk.Takk det sammeTakk. I like måte. | Thanks to you too!Likewise! | The phrase I use the most, perhaps!When you have worked or enjoyed the time together. You feel thankful the same way as they do.E.g. A: Takk for praten!B: Takk det samme! |
| Seff! | Sure! | Used among younger generations. It’s a shortened form of ‘Selvfølgelig’, which means ‘of course’. |
How you can construct a thank-you phrase for your own situation!
If you would like to form a thank you phrase to someone, here’s the way!
Takk for at + the past sentence. Translated to an exact English phrase as ‘Thank you for that you did something.’ (Since you will say thank you at the end of the action!)
Takk for at du kjørte meg. – Thank you for driving me.
Takk for at du kom på besøk! – Thank you for visiting me.
Takk for at du hjalp meg med prosjektet. – Thank you for helping me with the project.
Or
Takk for + definite noun (with the or possessive pronoun). Translated to an exact English phrase as ‘Thank you for the…’)
Takk for ditt samarbeid. – Thank you for your cooperation.
Takk for innspillet! – Thank you for the input!
Takk for denne gangen. – Thanks for this time.
Many Norwegians would say that “Takk for alt!” is used in the funeral to say to the deceased, like “thanks for everything and all the memories”.
I would argue that it’s OK to use “Takk for alt!”. Sometimes Norwegian people say that too. It’s just that it’s not so common.
Takk for at du tok deg tid til å lese denne artikkelen!