While Italian does have formal and informal pronouns, grazie is not a word that changes depending on the person you’re talking to. For that reason, it’s also a good word to use if you’re unsure whether to speak to someone formally or informally.
You don’t want to pronounce the r in grazie the way you would pronounce an English r either. The Italian r is trilled. You can approximate the sound by thinking about the way you pronounce a word like “butter” if you say it fast. The d sound you make comes close to an Italian r.
For example, if you’re walking down a street in Rome and a flower vendor offers you a flower, you might say “no, grazie,” to let them know that you aren’t interested in buying any flowers.
For example, if you have a special request that someone goes out of their way to fulfill, you might say molte grazie. It’s a little stronger than a simple grazie and implies that you understand and appreciate what the person has done for you.
For example, you might say “grazie mille per il Suo aiuto,” which means “thanks a lot for your help. " In English, “million” is used more often than “thousand” in this context. You can think of this phrase as similar to saying “a million thanks” or “thanks a million. "
Like grazie mille, you can place the word tante either before or after the word grazie without changing the meaning.
For example, if you were staying in a hotel in Rome and the hotel proprietor gave you directions several different times, as well as advice on the best restaurants and the best time of day to visit local attractions, it would be appropriate to say grazie di tutto as you were checking out of the hotel.
If you’re speaking to someone your age or younger, or someone you have a close relationship with, you could say ti ringrazio (tee rreen-GRAHT-see-oh), which is the informal way of saying “I thank you. " If the person you’re thanking is older than you, an adult stranger, or someone in a position of authority, use la ringrazio (lah rreen-GRAHT-see-oh). If you’re addressing your thanks to more than one person, say vi ringrazio (vee rreen-GRAHT-see-oh).
The word prego is the first-person singular form of the verb pregare, which means “to pray. " While it’s translated as “you’re welcome” when said in response to grazie, it literally means “I pray. "
For example, if someone thanked you for holding the door open for them, you might respond non c’è di che.
You can also try di nulla (dee NOOL-lah), which means basically the same thing.
Be careful with your tone and body language when you use this. Otherwise, the person may think that you genuinely don’t know why they were thanking you.
