One of the challenges of learning to speak French well is mastering those little expressions of politeness that go a long way to making conversations flow smoothly and demonstrate fluency.

When someone says "Thank you (very much)" to us in English, the most common response is probably along the lines of: "You're welcome" or some variation such as: "You're more than welcome" or "You're very welcome". There are a couple of other possibilities, of course, such as: "Be my guest", "My pleasure", "No problem" and "Likewise". Certain forms such as "You're welcome" and "My pleasure" are socially neutral in that they can be used under any circumstances. Others may be considered rather informal, to be used in casual conversations, and others more formal for those occasions where one wants to be more polite.

In French the situation is similar; there are many ways to respond to "Merci", "Merci beaucoup" or "Je vous remercie (beaucoup)". Be careful. You must avoid at all costs the temptation to translate word for word from English. The results are inevitably very awkward and show a poor command of idiomatic French. Instead, you want to reply with a quick and confident response that will impress your listener and give the impression that your French is very fluent.

Let me first point out that in France, one does not say: "Bienvenue" in response to "Merci" This is a literal translation of "Welcome" and often heard in Quebec French, Many people criticize it for being a poor translation. To avoid any negative perceptions, It is probably best to avoid this word even if it is quite widespread and tempting.

Here are some good alternatives in all varieties of French.

"De rien" (For nothing) is a short form, a bit informal perhaps, but can be used anywhere.

"Je vous en prie" (I beg of you) is an all-purpose form, a bit on the formal side. This is a very polite form.

"C'est moi qui vous remercie" (It is I who thanks you) is a bit of a mouthful. Also all-purpose and a tad formal.

"Il n'y a pas de quoi" or "Pas de quoi" (There is nothing to it) is a bit literary and very polite.

"Pas de problème" (No problem) is very informal and considered somewhat slangy. To be used with caution,

"Ça m'a fait plaisir" or "Cela m'a fait plaisir" (It gave me pleasure) is quite common in Quebec and rare in France.

"Merci a vous" or "Merci a toi" (Thanks to you) is a bit informal and short.

Which ones to choose? In terms of recommendations, you can't go wrong with "Je vous en prie", "C'est moi qui vous remercie" and "Il n'y a pas de quoi". They are all on the very polite side and good for nearly all occasions. The others expressions are also quite usable especially if you want to add a bit of informality. Like many features of spoken language, usage will vary according to the degree of formality. "De rien", "Merci a toi" and "Pas de quoi" are short and punchy. They are good for fast-moving conversations.

The only one that I recommend using with caution is "Pas de problème". I'm not saying it is not to be used. It is just is a bit slangy and best avoided if you are not sure of how to use it well. Note that it is to be used when you actually mean "No problem" as in response to "Can I change my flight?" Just avoid it as an all-purpose answer to "Merci" unless you feel comfortable doing so.

Stanley St. Yves Aleong was educated in Montreal and in Paris, France. He specializes in teaching French at an advanced level with innovative methods and materials. He has written four five books in French and numerous articles on the French language. For more information on becoming truly fluent in French, visit his website http://www.langcal.com.