You’re Welcome in Spanish — Regional Variations
All the ways of saying “You’re Welcome” in Spanish — including regional variations and colloquial ways of saying it.
Some of the things you say most often in a foreign language are basic politeness expressions — saying thank you, excuse me, you’re welcome, and so on.
Saying “thank you” in Spanish is as easy as saying gracias. It works everywhere, and with everyone! Yes, there are more advanced ways of saying it, but gracias always works.
Because they’re so common, there are also many variations on these basic phrases. So the way of saying “you’re welcome” in Spanish vary by:
- Age — Your age, and the age of the person with whom you’re speaking,
- Region — What country, what part of the world, and
- Politeness level — The degree of thanks that were offered
Sometimes you just want to say “no problem”. In those cases, check out our article on saying “no problem” in Spanish. You’re welcome!
Contents
You’re Welcome in Spanish — In a Nutshell
Here’s a summary table of all the ways of saying “you’re welcome” in Spanish.
There’s some overlap with how you say “no problem” (as that’s a good way of saying “you’re welcome”).
Where relevant, I’ve included the region where this expression is used more, e.g. de nada is used more in Spain.
Spanish | Literal meaning/how to use |
---|---|
De nada | “Of nothing”, a standard “you’re welcome” phrase, used similarly to “no problem”. Used more in Spain. |
Por nada | “For nothing” Same as de nada, but used more in Latin America, and a bit odd-sounding in Spain. |
No hay de que | “There is nothing of which”, to say “you’re welcome” to someone expressing thanks (European Spanish) |
Con gusto | “With pleasure”, used more in Latin America |
Para servirle | “At your service”, used more in Latin America |
Ningún problema | “No problem at all”, say when someone is thanking you for a favour |
Sin problemas | “Without problems”, say to explain to someone that something is no trouble at all |
Un placer | “A pleasure”, use when someone is being thankful |
A la orden | “At your orders”, a colloquial “you’re welcome” used in Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela |
All the Ways to Say You’re Welcome in Spanish
De Nada and Por Nada
The number one way you learn how to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish is to say de nada , or por nada .
Literally, the meaning and use of these expressions overlap almost entirely. They mean “of nothing” or “for nothing”. They are referring to the fact that someone has thanked you, and you’re downplaying by it, saying “you’re thanking me for nothing!”
Note that por nada is used commonly in Latin America but is not used in Spain (well, I never heard it). In Spain, if you say por nada to say “you’re welcome”, it will seem a little coarse (see this thread on Stack Exchange for an explanation).
In Latin America, both are quite common and neither seem inappropriate.
No hay de que
No hay de que was the first textbook way I learned to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish.Literally, it means “there’s nothing of which” and refers to there being nothing of which to be thankful.
It’s a little formal and not as often used. But if you want to class it up, try saying “Pues no hay de que, señor/a!”
Read next: I Love You in Spanish – 7 Heartfelt Ways to Express Love
Un placer
Sometimes, you can just say that it’s your pleasure to say “you’re welcome” in Spanish.
Variations on un placer :
- Es un placer — “It’s a pleasure”, though feels more like “it’s my pleasure” (see note below).
- Fue un placer — “It was a pleasure”
- Un verdadero placer — “A real pleasure”
- ¡El placer es mío! — “The pleasure is mine!”
Note: I don’t hear people saying “Es mi placer”. Seems a little too direct. Stick to “Es un placer”; who it’s for is implied.
Es un placer is also a way to say nice to meet you in Spanish.
Con Gusto
Con Gusto obviously this means “with gusto!”In case you’re unfamiliar with that English loan word, in this sense the word gusto means “willingness”.
I heard this phrase most often in South America. In fact it was the phrase I most often heard in Colombia.
Variations:
- ¡Con mucho gusto! — “With much willingness!”
- ¡Con gusto, señor/a!
Con Gusto is often paired with “¡Para servirle!” as one phrase.
¡Para servirle!
¡Para servirle! loosely translates to “At your service!” But it’s used much more commonly than the English equivalent.Literally, para servirle means “in order to serve you”.
The phrase para servirle is modified to para servirles when addressing more than one person.
In Latin American countries you can often have this exchange:
- ¡Muchas gracias!
- ¡Con mucho gusto, para servirles!
A usted/a tí — Back at you!
A usted / a tí literally means “to you”. It’s a reflection of the thanks. “Thank you.” “No, thank you!“Might sound like an unusual way of saying “you’re welcome” in Spanish, but it’s not unique to Spanish. In some parts of the English-speaking world, people say “Right back at you”. I don’t say it, but I’ve heard it.
I heard a usted more in Latin America, but it’s also used in Spain.
Variants on this are
- A usted
- A ustedes (to a group of people)
- A tí (rarely, only with people we knew well)
- A vos (in countries where it’s used, like Colombia and Argentina)
I never heard anyone say a vosotros (or vosotras).
The first time I heard this, I heard it as “…thank me? Thank YOU!” But it’s less dramatic than that, and said quite casually.
About me as a Spanish Speaker
Spanish was my first foreign language. I learned it back in 1999, before the Internet made it super easy (it did make it easier… I could buy books online!). I now speak ten languages, including the two I grew up with.
I learned Spanish first out of a series of books, and then speaking to people, and then moving to Spain and getting a job. Since then, I’ve had Spanish-speaking friends from all over the world and spend a lot of time in Spain, Colombia, and various Central American countries.
I’m a grammar nerd, and to this day obsess over orthography, rules, accent, and correct use of things like the subjunctive. I’m not a native speaker, but coming from the perspective of a fellow learner, I really enjoy helping other people along their language-learning journey.
Drop us a line if you have any questions not covered by things like our Spanish resource guides.