We all know that it’s polite to say “Thank you” when someone does something kind or helpful for us.

And when you’re learning English, expressions such as “please,” “thank you,” “sorry,” and “excuse me” are essential for sounding natural and communicating politely.

But what should you say when someone thanks you?

Of course, you can always say:

“You’re welcome.”

But there are many other natural ways to respond to “Thank you”, and the best expression depends on the situation and the relationship between the speakers.

Let’s take a look!

1. “You’re welcome” — the classic response

“You’re welcome” is the standard response to “Thank you.”

It is polite, natural, and appropriate in almost any situation.

For example:

A: Thank you for your help.
B: You’re welcome!

A: Thanks for the coffee.
B: You’re welcome!

So, there is absolutely nothing wrong with saying “You’re welcome.”

However, if you want to sound more flexible and natural in everyday conversations, it’s useful to know some other expressions too.

2. Other natural ways to respond

There are many alternatives to “You’re welcome.” Some are more casual, while others are particularly useful in professional or polite situations.

😊 Friendly & informal

These expressions are very common in everyday conversations:

• No problem!
• No worries!
• Don’t worry about it!
• Don’t mention it!
• Anytime!
• Sure!
• Sure thing!
• It was nothing!
• You’re so welcome!

For example:

A: Thanks for helping me with my bags.
B: No problem!

A: Thanks for picking me up at the airport.
B: Anytime!

A: Thank you so much!
B: You’re so welcome!

💡 Tip: These expressions are generally more casual and friendly than “You’re welcome.”

🤝 Polite & professional

These are especially useful at work or when you want to sound warm and polite:

• My pleasure.
• It was my pleasure.
• Happy to help.
• I’m happy to help.
• I’m glad I could help.
• You’re very welcome.

For example:

A: Thank you for helping me with this report.
B: My pleasure.

A: Thanks for your help today.
B: Happy to help!

A: Thank you very much for your time.
B: You’re very welcome.

💡 My pleasure is a particularly useful expression to learn. It communicates that you were happy to help, rather than simply saying that the other person doesn’t need to thank you.

3. Watch & notice

Now let’s see some of these expressions in real conversations.

🎬 Video 1 — Different ways to say “You’re welcome”

First, watch the video without English subtitles. Try to identify the different expressions people use to respond to “Thank you.” Then watch it again with subtitles if you need some extra support.

🎬 Video 2 — More expressions

In this video, pay attention to the last two responses from Bob.

What expressions does he use?

4. Which expression should you use?

You don’t need to memorize every possible response.

Here are some of the most useful ones to start using:

💡 My advice: Start with “You’re welcome,” “No problem,” “My pleasure,” and “Happy to help.” These four will already give you plenty of variety.

5. Quiz time! 📝

🎬 Video 3 — Practice

Now it’s time to test what you’ve learned. Take the quiz and see how many expressions you can recognize and understand.

6. Now it’s your turn!

Knowing an expression is one thing. Using it in a real conversation is another!

Choose the response that sounds most natural to you in each situation.

1.

Your colleague helps you carry some boxes.

“Thanks for helping me!”
→ __________________________

2.

A friend thanks you for driving them home.

“Thank you for the ride!”
→ __________________________

3.

A client thanks you for your help with a project.

“Thank you very much for your help.”
→ __________________________

4.

Someone thanks you for holding the door open.

“Thanks!”
→ __________________________

5.

A friend thanks you enthusiastically for a big favor.

“Thank you so much! You really helped me.”
→ __________________________

Possible answers

There isn’t always only one correct answer. It depends on the situation and your relationship with the person.

1. No problem! / Happy to help!
2. You’re welcome! / Anytime!
3. My pleasure. / You’re very welcome.
4. No problem! / You’re welcome!
5. You’re so welcome! / My pleasure!

7. And one more thing…

Sometimes, you’ll hear something a little unexpected:

“Thank YOU!”

Why would someone say “Thank YOU!” after you have just thanked them?

Because sometimes both people have something to be thankful for.

For example:

A: Thanks for coming to my party!
B: Thank YOU for inviting me!

Or:

A: Thank you for helping me with my presentation.
B: Thank YOU for giving me the opportunity to be part of it!

The emphasis on YOU changes the meaning.

It can mean:

“No, I should be thanking you!”

🎬 Video 4 — “Thank YOU!”

Watch the video below and see how this expression is used.

⭐ Your takeaway

You don’t always have to say “You’re welcome.”

Next time someone says “Thank you,” try choosing a response that fits the situation:

Neutral:
→ You’re welcome.

Friendly:
→ No problem! / No worries! / Anytime!

Professional:
→ My pleasure. / Happy to help.

Warm & enthusiastic:
→ You’re so welcome!

And remember:

The goal isn’t to memorize every expression. It’s to learn a few that you can actually use.

So… next time someone says “Thank you!”, what will you say? 😊

We all know that it’s polite to say “Thank you” to someone after they’ve done something good or helpful.

And as you learn words like “please,” “thank you,” “sorry,” and “excuse me,” mastering your manners in English can really help you sound more natural. If you don’t use these expressions in certain situations, it can even sound like you’re not really speaking English at all! That’s what my experience with the language has shown me!

So, if someone thanks you for something, what can you say in reply?

1. “You’re welcome” — the classic reply

“You’re welcome” is the most common response. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using it. It’s the standard, polite reply, and in many cases, it comes out automatically.

But because it’s so common, it can feel a bit overused.
That’s why it’s essential to expand your vocabulary and learn other ways to respond—each with slightly different meanings or levels of formality.

2. Good manners in English

If you want to sound more natural or native-like, you’ll often use variations of “you’re welcome” instead of the phrase itself.

Below is a short skit that shows different ways people reply to “thank you.”
👉 Try watching it first without English subtitles, focusing on pronunciation.
Then watch it again with subtitles if you need support.

Do the same with all four videos in this lesson.

3. Useful expressions to respond to “THANK YOU”

Neutral

• You’re welcome.

More formal

• You’re quite welcome.
• You’re very welcome.
• You’re so welcome.
• You’re truly welcome.

Informal

• Don’t mention it.
• No worries.
• Don’t worry about it.
• It was no problem.
• Not a problem.
• No problem.
• No prob! (slang)
• Sure.
• Sure, no worries.
• Sure thing.
• Sure, anytime.
• It was nothing.
• It’s nothing.
• Anytime!

Professional or social situations

• The pleasure is mine.
• It’s my pleasure.
• It was my pleasure.
• With pleasure.
• My pleasure.
• Pleasure.
• I’m happy I could help.
• I’m happy to help.
• I’m glad to help.
• Happy to help.

👉 Watch the last two responses from Bob in the video below.

4. Quiz

The following material includes a short quiz so you can practice the expressions you’ve just learned.

5. And one more thing!

Next time you thank someone, don’t be surprised if they reply:
👉 “Thank YOU!”

This means that not only did you benefit from the situation, but they also feel that you helped them in some way.

In English, there are two main ways to use these words:

1. To talk about categories or groups of things.
2. To express uncertainty or approximation — but only with kind and sort (not type).

Watch the video below to see these expressions in action! It explains when to use kind of, sort of, and type of, and show you how kinda and sorta sound in real-life English. It’s short, clear, and full of examples you can start using right away.

1. KIND OF, SORT OF, TYPE OF — Categories or Groups

We use these expressions to describe types, kinds, or categories of things.
They always come with the preposition of.

Examples:

1. What type of music do you like?
   (Que tipo de música você gosta?)
2. What are the different kinds of spices in this cake?
   (Quais são os diferentes tipos de condimentos desse bolo?)
3. That magazine prints fake news and all sorts of other rubbish.
   (Aquela revista publica notícias falsas e todo tipo de besteira.)

💡 Tip:
In everyday English, kind of and sort of are often used interchangeably, but type of sounds a little more formal.

2. KINDA & SORTA — Expressing Uncertainty or Softening Statements

When spoken quickly, kind of and sort of often become kinda and sorta.
They can mean a little, more or less, or sort of in Portuguese (“um pouco”, “meio”, “mais ou menos”).

Examples:

1. Mm, I’m kinda cold. Could you please close the window?
   (Estou com um pouquinho de frio. Você poderia fechar a janela?)
2. Do you like tomatoes? — Mm, sorta.
   (Você gosta de tomates? — Mais ou menos.)

They are also used to soften opinions — when you’re unsure or want to sound polite:

It’s kinda expensive. → (É meio caro.)
She’s sorta shy. → (Ela é meio tímida.)

3. “KINDA-SORTA” — Modern, Playful English

This fun combination — kinda-sorta — is common in casual, spoken English, especially among younger speakers.
It can mean:

1. A little
2. A lot (ironically)
3. Indecision
4. Laziness or hesitation

Examples:

1. Who is that actor?
   — Oh, he used to be kinda-sorta famous back in the 90s.
   (Ele costumava ser um pouco famoso nos anos 90.)
2. How’s my writing paper?
   — Um… it still kinda-sorta needs some work.
   (Ainda precisa de muitas melhoras.)
3. So, are you guys, like, together?
   — Well, we’re kinda-sorta boyfriend/girlfriend.
   (Bem, somos meio que namorados.)
4. Do you wanna go out tonight?
   — Mm… kinda-sorta, not really, maybe, but yeah, okay.
   (Mais ou menos, não muito, talvez, mas tá, ok.)

🧠 Practice Time

Exercise 1 — Fill in the blanks

Complete with kind of, sort of, or type of.

1. What _______ job are you looking for?
2. It’s _______ cold today, isn’t it?
3. I don’t really like that _______ music.
4. I’m _______ tired, but I’ll help you.
5. What _______ food do they serve there?

Exercise 2 — Choose the correct option

1. She’s _______ shy.
   a) type of  b) kinda  c) sort
2. What _______ chocolate do you prefer — dark or milk?
   a) kind of  b) sorta  c) kinda-sorta
3. He’s _______ funny, but not always.
   a) type  b) kinda  c) of kind
4. They have all _______ of fruit juices here.
   a) sorts  b) kind  c) sorta

Exercise 3 — Express yourself!

Translate and complete these sentences using kind of, sort of, type of, or kinda-sorta.

1. Eu estou meio cansado hoje.
   → I’m ______________________ today.
2. Que tipo de filme você gosta?
   → What ______________________ do you like?
3. Ele é meio estranho, mas simpático.
   → He’s ______________________ weird but nice.
4. Ela é meio que minha melhor amiga.
   → She’s ______________________ my best friend.

Answer Key:

Exercise 1: 1. kind of / 2. kinda / 3. kind of / 4. kinda / 5. type of
Exercise 2: 1. b / 2. a / 3. b / 4. a
Exercise 3: (open answers)

💬 Reflection Question

In what situations do you use kind, sort, or type in your daily life?
Share your example in the comments! 👇