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Are you ready to learn all the things you have to know about the basic French word “Merci”?
It includes a full explanation of what it is and how you can use it in everyday life with an audio example. And because we want to help you on your learning journey, we also added some useful informations like slow pronunciation audio, dialogue example, synonyms and more!
Oh and if you want, on this page you will find more of these words explained and the ultimate directory of all our French words tutorials on this page. Wishing you a happy learning!
“Merci” is the most common way to say “Thank you” in French. In slang, it becomes “Cimer“
Use it exactly like “Thanks” in English, it’s fine in every situation. So if you just want to learn the basics for now, no need for more. But if you want to sound like a French native, here are some tips:
→ If you want something more formal, use: “Merci à vous” or “Je vous remercie“.
→ For the slang version, use: “Cimer“
→ And finally if you want to show extra gratitude, when a simple “Merci” isn’t enough, use: “Merci beaucoup” (Thanks a lot) or “Un grand merci” (A big thanks)
(More details in the “Synonyms” section below)
Why is the slang version “Cimer” ? Simple! Take the syllables of the word “mer-ci” and reverse them → “ci-mer“.
This mechanism is called “verlan” and is very common in slang contexts.
(The word “ver-lan” being itself a “verlan” of the word “à l’envers” which means “Reversed“…)
Normal gratitude:
Extra gratitude: