Take a moment and think about how many times you've said "thank you" today.
If you're living in the United States or another English speaking country, you've probably
said it more times than you can count.
Thank you has become such a common response that we often don't notice when we've said
it.
As a non-native speaker, you may be surprised by how much Americans say "thank you" for
doing something that's common courtesy, or expected because of your personal or professional
relationship.
Here it's polite to say "thanks" when someone does a small favor for you, shows you kindness,
or helps you out, even if it's expected.
Although thanking someone may seem simple, you want to make sure your sincere feelings
are clear.
In this video, you'll learn how to go beyond thank you and find out more ways to show appreciation
and express gratitude in American English.
You'll practice useful English expressions that will help you be more specific about
what you're thankful for.
You'll also find out how to show sincere gratitude through your intonation.
And remember, it's not just about the words.
Being grateful can actually improve your mood, your attitude, and even your life.
Let's get started.
First things first, let's go over the language we use in order to talk about giving thanks.
Saying thank you describes the simple clear act of using a phrase like "thanks," "thank
you," "thanks so much," or the other common expressions we'll talk about in this video.
When we appreciate someone or something, we perform an action.
We recognize the value of something we received, the time someone spent with us, or their contribution
to our lives.
Appreciation goes beyond words.
It's a deeper feeling that we experience.
When we show appreciation, we demonstrate these feelings through words or actions or
both.
This usually involves saying a genuine thank you, either publicly or privately, and being
clear and specific about what we appreciate.
Gratitude can be considered an attitude or an approach to living a good life.
The word "gratitude" describes the state of being grateful or thankful due to a consistent
awareness of the positive aspects of your life.
For many people, gratitude is actually a practice, something you may choose to do on a daily
basis.
In short, thanks are simply words, appreciation is an action, and gratitude is a practice.
You can be thankful, appreciative, and grateful all at the same time.
As I mentioned a moment ago, saying thank you more often and giving thanks as part of
a daily gratitude practice can have an important impact on your personal wellbeing.
For non-native English speakers, regularly saying thank you can also have a major impact
on how people view you, and how they interpret your meaning and your message.
First of all, saying thank you shows good manners.
It's one of the quickest and easiest ways to ensure that someone sees you as polite.
Admit it - we're more likely to remember when someone doesn't say thank you after we've
invested time and energy into helping them.
You can probably think of a few examples right now.
Besides sounding more polite, saying thank you indicates that you understand and respect
that the other person offered you their time, energy, knowledge, or assistance.
Showing appreciation has an additional benefit: it enables us to connect with others.
When we sincerely appreciate how other people contribute to our lives, this creates a deeper
shared bond between us.
In turn, this often leads to a stronger friendship, or a more supportive work relationship with
more opportunities to work together and collaborate in the future.
Remember, the key word here is sincere.
When you're being sincere, you truly mean what you say, your feelings are authentic,
and your attitude is genuine, not fake.
We definitely know when people truly appreciate us.
Now that we've discussed the importance of saying "thank you," let's talk about how to
genuinely show appreciation through both your words and your intonation.
When expressing gratitude in American English, there are four guidelines that you can follow
in order to show sincere appreciation.
Number one, choose an appropriate expression to say thank you.
Number two, show appreciation through your intonation.
Number three, be specific about what you're thanking the person for.
Number four, follow up with another appreciative phrase or compliment.
Let's start off with some simple, classic expressions you can use to say "thank you."
If you're in doubt about the best way to show your appreciation, don't worry.
A simple "thanks" or "thank you" is always enough as long as it's genuine.
For more variety, choose one of these common expressions.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Thank you so much.
Thanks so much.
Thanks a lot.
Thanks a ton.
Thanks a bunch.
Thanks a million.
All I can say is thanks.
All I can say is thank you.
I appreciate it.
I really appreciate it.
When saying thank you, be sure to use intonation that expresses your appreciation.
Your tone of voice is key to making sure the other person understands you're being sincere.
Showing enthusiasm through your intonation helps people understand you mean what you
say.
Without the appropriate intonation, your "thank you" can sound flat or even sarcastic.
To show appreciation through your intonation, you'll use consistent rises throughout your
speech, as well as a normal rise and fall to signal you're done talking.
You can put extra stress or emphasis on the words that express these feelings of gratitude
such as, thanks, thank, appreciate, thankful, and grateful.
Here's what I mean.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
I'm so grateful.
We're so thankful.
If you choose an expression that intensifies your feelings, put extra emphasis on that
word by holding the stressed vowel sound.
I really appreciate it.
Thanks a million.
Thanks so much.
The right intonation will help you sound even more sincere, whereas more flat intonation
will make you sound bored or even annoyed.
When you feel truly grateful, you want to show it through your tone of voice.
Let's compare the difference on a few examples.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Thanks a million.
I really appreciate it.
Intonation matters just as much as the words.
Besides the classic expressions that we just discussed, there are several fun expressions
we can use to say "thank you" in more informal situations.
Native English speakers recognize these phrases as expressions of gratitude, especially when
you use the right intonation.
Listen to how I express enthusiasm and sincere gratitude when saying these expressions and
then practice along with me.
You're the best.
You rock!
Props to Anna.
Props to my advisor.
I'd love to give a shout out to my brother.
I'd love to give a shout out to Sarah.
Shout out to my sister.
Shout out to my friends.
Hats off to you.
You saved my life.
You saved my day.
You made my day.
You're a lifesaver.
I owe you.
I owe you one.
I owe you big time.
I'll pay you back.
I'll get you back.
The last few expressions show that you're thankful for the other person's help and indicate
that you'll be sure to help them out if they ever need it in a similar situation.
When thanking the same person for a number of things, be sure to vary your vocabulary.
We don't usually say "thank you, thank you, thank you."
Instead, we may say something like, "Thanks a bunch.
I really appreciate it.
You're the best."
Or, "Thank you so much.
I owe you one.
You rock."
Using a few different expressions to say thank you repeatedly will help you sound more natural.
When we thank someone, we want to make sure the person understands exactly why we're saying
it.
You strengthen your expression of thanks by being specific about what you're grateful
for.
Thankfully, it's really easy to be specific.
Simply use the word "for."
You can say: Thank you for your help.
Thanks for coming to my party.
Thank you for responding so quickly.
Thanks for the coffee.
If you use the verb "appreciate," you want to follow it with a noun or pronoun instead.
I really appreciate it.
I appreciate you.
I appreciate your help.
I appreciate your time.
I appreciate your advice.
I really appreciate your suggestions.
Once again, intonation matters.
Consider how you can express how grateful you feel through your tone of voice.
Similarly, when we express gratitude for another person or for the blessings in our lives,
we need to be specific.
As I mentioned, gratitude is a practice and it helps to name what we're grateful for.
Here are a few ways you can express gratitude.
I'm grateful for your time.
I'm thankful for your friendship.
I'm truly grateful that you believed in this project.
I feel blessed to have such great coworkers.
In American English, we have quite a few expressions of gratitude that are more commonly used in
certain situations.
You can start off with "thanks" or "thank you" in all of these expressions.
Here are some examples.
Thank you for coming.
This is used to appreciate that someone attended your party, performance, or meeting.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you for writing.
Thank you for calling.
These are used to thank someone for reaching out to you via email or by phone.
Thank you for writing.
Thank you for calling.
Thanks for checking in.
This is used to thank someone for following up if they knew the other person was feeling
bad or stressed or sick.
Thanks for checking in.
Thank you for letting me know.
This is often used after you've received good or bad news.
Thank you for letting me know.
Thanks for getting back to me.
This is used when someone responds to your inquiry or request.
Thanks for getting back to me.
Thank you for the gift.
This is used after receiving a present or donation.
Thank you for the gift.
Thanks for the invitation.
Thanks for the invite.
These expressions are used to show appreciation for being included, even if you can't attend.
Thanks for the invitation.
Thanks for the invite.
Thank you for the kind words.
This is usually used after receiving a compliment.
Thank you for the kind words.
Thanks for the support.
This is often used to show appreciation when someone shows you compassion when you're feeling
sad, discouraged, upset or emotional.
It can also be used to thank someone for having confidence in your ability to achieve something.
Thanks for the support.
Thanks for taking the time to do something.
This is used to show appreciation for a busy person's time.
Thanks for taking the time to do something.
As we talked about a moment ago, in order to emphasize your appreciation, you want to
repeat or reiterate your gratitude without saying thank you several times in a row.
Instead, follow up with one of these expressions in order to show that the other person's action,
time, or gjft truly matters to you.
You didn't have to do this.
You didn't need to do that.
You are so thoughtful.
You're so generous.
You're so sweet.
I'm so touched.
That means so much.
That means so much to me.
That means a lot.
You've gone above and beyond.
What would I do without you?
I couldn't have done it without you.
That's so nice of you.
You're too kind.
You're amazing.
As usual, pay attention to your intonation.
Lengthening and holding key words can help you express how you feel.
If words just don't seem like enough to express the extent of your gratitude, these expressions
demonstrate a deep appreciation for the person and their actions.
Be sure to only use these expressions for situations that truly merit your most sincere
regards.
Your intonation will be very respectful and deliberate in order to emphasize how much
you mean what you're saying.
I don't even have the words to thank you.
I appreciate this more than you'll ever know.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I'm eternally grateful.
I can't thank you enough.
I'll never forget your kindness.
I don't think I can ever repay you.
You have my deepest thanks.
You have my most sincere appreciation.
You have my deepest gratitude.
As you can see, there are many, many different ways to show appreciation and express gratitude
beyond the words "thank you," even though that's a great start.
Now that you've learned all about saying thanks, you want to practice these expressions so
that they start to feel more natural for you.
Choose three or four expressions that you can see yourself using, and practice saying
them with the right intonation.
For a little extra practice, leave a comment below this video showing appreciation for
anything you'd like.
For even more guidance on how to communicate effectively in English, be sure to check out
the other resources I've included in the description below the video.
Thank you so much for watching this video.
I appreciate it.
You're the best.
Once again, I'm Kim from englishwithkim.com.
I'm your guide to the essential communication skills you need to sound more natural in English.
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Have a good one.
Goodbye!