Is it right to say "Thank you" in the response of "Thank you"?

Question

When two persons help each other and one said "thank you" then is it right to say "Thank you" in the response.

related: What is the meaning of “don't mention it” (in response to “thank you”)? — Matt E. Эллен, Nov 23 '11 at 10:48
related: how do native english speakers respond to thank you — Matt E. Эллен, Nov 23 '11 at 10:50

score 14 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 23 '11 at 10:30

14

I personally would respond with "No, thank you" or "thank you." That is, there's an emphasis that I consider the other person to have been of equal or greater help. (American English)

answered Nov 23 '11 at 10:30

mkennedy

1,123

score 12 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 23 '11 at 10:26

12

Sounds good to me. You could also say "You, too" or "Thank you, too" or "Ditto" or anything equivalent.

answered Nov 23 '11 at 10:26

Hackworth

1,349

1

an equivalent: likewise – Xantix Nov 09 '12 at 10:06

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered Nov 23 '11 at 11:57

mkennedy and Hackworth are right, but one might also say "and thank you for the [blah blah blah]". If one parrots "thank you" then it is possible that one's gratitude might sound hollow, so adding detail of what you are grateful for might make the utterance sound more genuine.

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 24 '11 at 01:23

I thought that the person who receive the "Thank you" will say "You're welcome".

In your example: Jack and I have helped each other. Then Jack will say "Thank you" to me and I will say "You're welcome." After that, I will say "Thank you" to Jack and Jack will say "You're welcome too".

Is it right to say "Thank you" in the response of "Thank you"?

4 Answers4

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