Discover the French phrase "Je t'en prie"

Are you ready to find out all the things you ever wanted to know about the basic sentence “Je t’en prie”?

Are included a complete explanation of what it is and how to use it in a conversation with an audio example. And also the cool informations we sprinkled like synonym, dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio and more!

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English translation

How to pronounce it?

Slow pronunciation

Normal pronunciation

What does je t'en prie mean?

Definition

“Je t’en prie” is used very often in daily life and is one of the most popular ways to express “You are welcome” in French. The most classic way is “De rien“, so if you have to keep in mind just one use “De rien” instead which will work in every situation.

The only difference with “De rien” is that “Je t’en prie” is more formal.

But keep in mind that to sound like a true French you will need to master these variations and use them appropriately depending on context, whom you are talking to and how much you want to be polite.

Let’s see a few examples!

How to use

A very basic example: you do something for someone and the person says: “Merci” (Thank you). Then you answer: “De rien” (You are welcome) or “Avec plaisir” (My pleasure) or “Je t’en prie”

But now let’s take the same situation and change it a little. The person who says “Merci” is your boss and you want to show some extra respect, so you can use instead: “Je vous en prie” (Literally: “I beg of you“).

Another case: the person is now your sibling/family or a close friend. No need to be formal anymore, right? So you can use instead: “Pas de quoi” (That’s nothing) or “T’inquiète” (Don’t worry) or “Pas de souci” (No worry).

Finally, imagine you think you don’t deserve the “Thank you” or you think the other person is actually the one to thank. In this case you can use an expression to redirect the “Merci” toward the other person.

Examples: “C’est moi qui te remercie” → “No, I am the one who thank you” (Informal) or “C’est moi qui vous remercie” (Formal). Other options would be: “Tout le plaisir est pour moi” → “All the pleasure is for me” (Neutral) or “Merci à toi/vous” → “Thanks to you“. (Informal/Formal)

Check the variations below to find the most appropriate ones regarding your situation!

Synonyms and similarities

In France, the variations you can use are:

  • De rien → You are welcome (Most used version)
  • Je vous en prie → You are welcome (“I beg of you“)
  • Pas de souci(s) → No worry(ies) (Informal)
  • Pas de problème → No problem (Informal)
  • T’inquiète → Don’t worry (Informal)
  • T’inquiète pas → Don’t worry (Informal)
  • Ne t’inquiète pas → Don’t worry (Informal)
  • C’est moi qui te remercie → No thank you (“No, I am the one who thank you“)
  • C’est moi qui vous remercie → No thank you (“No, I am the one who thank you“)(Formal)
  • Merci à toi → Thanks to you
  • Merci à vous → Thanks to you (Formal)
  • Avec plaisir → My pleasure (“With pleasure“)
  • Tout le plaisir est pour moi → My pleasure (“All the pleasure is for me“)
  • Tout le plaisir était pour moi → My pleasure (“All the pleasure was for me“)
  • Pas de quoi → That’s nothing (“No need“)(Informal)
  • Y’a pas de quoi → That’s nothing (“There is no need“)(Informal)
  • Il n’y a pas de quoi → That’s nothing (“There is no need“)

In other French-speaking countries, you can also use:

  • Service → At your service (“Service“)(Switzerland)
  • Ça me fait plaisir → My pleasure (“It gives me pleasure“)(Canada)
  • Bienvenue → You’re welcome (“Welcome“)(Canada)
  • S’il vous plaît → You’re welcome (“Please“)(Belgium)

Example in a story with translation

Now, let’s see a complete example of this idiom in a story with slow French audio and the English translation below.
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Le Français, c'est compliqué
French is complicated
___
Olivia:   C’était une très belle journée aujourd’hui !
It was a beautiful day today!
Théo:   Oui, je trouve aussi !
Yes, I think so too!
Olivia:   Maintenant, je te propose de cuisiner et de regarder la télé.
Now, I propose you to cook and watch TV.
Théo:   Ça me va.
That’s okay with me.
Théo ouvre la porte de leur appartement…
Théo opens the door of their apartment…
Théo:   Entre.
Come in.
Olivia:   Merci chéri.
Thank you honey.
Théo:   Je t’en prie.
You are welcome.
Olivia:   Oh, j’ai entendu cette expression l’autre jour ! Qu’est-ce que ça veut dire ?
Oh, I heard that expression the other day! What does it mean?
Théo:   Dans ce cas, ça veut dire “De rien”.
In this case, that means “You’re welcome”.
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