You're welcome is the usual polite reply when someone thanks you. It is neutral and works with anyone: a colleague, a customer, a stranger. Friends often reply more simply: No problem or Any time.
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Thank you → You're welcome; you're welcome to + verb
- 'Thanks for fixing my laptop.' 'You're welcome, it only took five minutes.'
- When the tourist thanked me for the directions, I smiled and said, 'You're welcome.'
- You're welcome to stay with us when you visit Moscow next spring.
What changed
First version'Thanks for the lecture notes!' 'Please!'
Revision'Thanks for the lecture notes!' 'You're welcome!'
In some languages the word for “please” is also the reply to “thank you”, but in English please is used only when you ask for something. It is never a reply to thanks. The right reply is You're welcome.
Welcome without you're means you are glad someone has come: Welcome to our office! And you're welcome to + verb means “feel free to”: You're welcome to join us for lunch.
Your turn
'Thanks so much for driving me to the airport!' '___, it was on my way.'
Show the answer
You're welcome — Someone is thanking you, so you need a reply to thanks: You're welcome. In English please remains a word for requests, and after thanks it sounds strange.
Think of a time you recently helped someone. Write two lines: thanks for the specific help and your reply with You're welcome.
'Thanks for helping me move the sofa.' 'You're welcome, call me if you need anything else.'
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