Is it merci de or merci pour?

De before a verb, pour before a concrete thing: merci d'avoir appelé, merci pour les fleurs. With an abstract noun such as patience or aide both work, and de is the more formal choice.

Why is it merci d'avoir and not merci pour avoir?

Because merci pour cannot take an infinitive. Only de can introduce a verb here, and it elides before the vowel of avoir, which is why merci d'avoir is one of the most frequent phrases in written French.

What does merci de bien vouloir mean?

It is a formal way of saying please be so kind as to: merci de bien vouloir remplir ce formulaire, please kindly fill in this form. It appears constantly in administrative French and is more polite than a bare imperative.

How do I thank a person rather than an action?

Use à: merci à toi, merci à vous, merci à tous. You can combine the two in one sentence: merci à vous pour votre patience, or merci à toi d'avoir attendu.

Does merci on its own mean yes or no?

It can mean either, and the tone decides. Offered another coffee, merci with a small nod often means no; if you want the coffee, say oui, merci or volontiers. Non merci removes the ambiguity entirely.

French grammar · Beginner

Merci De or Merci Pour? How to Say Thank You for Something in French

Written by Camille Laurent, Lead French Curriculum Editor · Reviewed May 2026

Merci takes de before a verb and pour before a concrete noun: merci d'avoir appelé, merci pour le cadeau. With an abstract noun both are possible, and de is the more formal of the two.

Merci pour les fleurs, et merci d'être venue.

Thank you for the flowers, and thank you for coming.

What it is

The choice is decided by what comes next. A verb always takes de, because French never puts an infinitive straight after pour in this construction. A concrete object you can hold takes pour. Only an abstract noun leaves you free to choose, and there the register decides.

Merci de m'avoir aidé. Merci pour ton aide. — Thanks for helping me. Thanks for your help.

How to spot it

Look at the first word after merci. If it is a verb in the infinitive, you need de. If it is a thing with an article in front of it, you almost always want pour.

Merci de patienter. — Thank you for waiting. (verb → de)
Merci pour le café. — Thanks for the coffee. (object → pour)
Merci de votre patience. — Thank you for your patience. (abstract, formal)
Merci pour tout. — Thanks for everything.

De elides before a vowel, which is why the commonest written form of all is merci d'avoir, not merci de avoir.

Merci De vs. Merci Pour Quick Reference

Which preposition after merci

What follows	Preposition	Example
An infinitive	de only	Merci d'être venu. — Thanks for coming.
A past infinitive	de only	Merci de m'avoir prévenu. — Thanks for letting me know.
A concrete object	pour	Merci pour le livre. — Thanks for the book.
An abstract noun	either, de is formal	Merci de votre accueil. — Thank you for your welcome.
A person	à	Merci à toi. — Thanks to you.
Nothing at all	—	Merci beaucoup. — Thanks a lot.
A request in advance	de	Merci de ne pas fumer. — Please do not smoke.

Common Merci De vs. Merci Pour Examples in French

The same gratitude, expressed four ways:

Merci De + Verb

Merci de m'avoir écouté.: Thank you for listening to me.
Merci d'avoir répondu si vite.: Thank you for replying so quickly.
Merci d'être passée me voir.: Thanks for dropping in to see me.
Merci de me tenir au courant.: Thanks for keeping me informed.

For something already done, use the past infinitive: merci d'avoir attendu. For something still to come, the plain infinitive: merci d'attendre.

Merci Pour + Thing

Merci pour le cadeau, il me plaît beaucoup.: Thanks for the present, I really like it.
Merci pour ta carte postale.: Thanks for your postcard.
Merci pour ce délicieux repas.: Thank you for this delicious meal.
Merci pour les billets de train.: Thanks for the train tickets.

If you could put the thing on a table, pour is the natural choice.

Abstract Nouns: Either Works

Merci de votre compréhension.: Thank you for your understanding.
Merci pour ton soutien.: Thanks for your support.
Merci de votre attention.: Thank you for your attention.
Merci pour cette belle soirée.: Thank you for this lovely evening.

The de version sounds administrative and appears in letters and announcements; the pour version sounds warmer and belongs in speech.

Thanking a Person

Merci à vous.: Thank you.
Merci à toi d'avoir organisé tout ça.: Thanks to you for organising all this.
Remerciez-le de ma part.: Thank him for me.
Je vous remercie de votre réponse.: Thank you for your reply.

The person thanked takes à; the reason for thanking still takes de or pour as usual.

How the Choice Works

One absolute rule about verbs, one strong tendency about objects, and a register distinction in the middle.

A Verb Always Takes De

Merci pour cannot be followed by an infinitive in standard French. Whenever the thing you are thanking someone for is an action, the preposition is de and the verb goes in the infinitive.

Merci de nous avoir prévenus.

Thank you for warning us.

Verb after merci → de.

Choose the Tense of the Infinitive

A plain infinitive points at something not yet done or ongoing; a past infinitive with avoir or être points at something completed. Merci d'attendre asks you to wait, merci d'avoir attendu thanks you for having waited.

Merci d'être venus si nombreux.

Thank you all for coming in such numbers.

Already done → merci d'avoir / d'être.

A Concrete Object Takes Pour

For a physical thing, pour introduces what was given. De is not impossible here, but it sounds archaic or clipped, and pour is what native speakers say without thinking.

Merci pour les chocolats.

Thanks for the chocolates.

Something you can hold → pour.

With an Abstract Noun, De Is the Formal Option

Both prepositions are correct in front of aide, patience, accueil or compréhension. De belongs to written and official French, pour to speech, and neither is more grammatical than the other.

Merci de votre confiance.

Thank you for your trust.

Letters → de. Conversation → pour.

Merci De Can Be a Polite Order

In signs and announcements, merci de plus an infinitive is a courteous imperative rather than real thanks. It thanks you in advance for doing what it asks.

Merci de bien vouloir patienter quelques instants.

Please be kind enough to wait a few moments.

merci de + infinitive = please.

Common Mistakes with Merci De vs. Merci Pour

Incorrect: Merci pour venir. — Thanks for coming.

Correct: Merci d'être venu. — Thanks for coming.

Pour cannot introduce an infinitive after merci. Because the visit has already happened, the natural form is the past infinitive être venu.

Incorrect: Merci pour m'avoir aidé. — Thanks for helping me.

Correct: Merci de m'avoir aidé. — Thanks for helping me.

The same rule with a pronoun in the way. The verb still governs the choice, so de is required whatever sits between merci and the infinitive.

Incorrect: Merci de le cadeau. — Thanks for the present.

Correct: Merci pour le cadeau. — Thanks for the present.

A concrete object takes pour. Merci de le cadeau also breaks the contraction rule, since de le would have to become du in any case.

Incorrect: Merci pour vous. — Thank you.

Correct: Merci à vous. — Thank you.

The person being thanked is introduced by à, not pour. Merci pour vous would mean thanks on your behalf.

The Formulas Worth Knowing Whole

Thanks in French runs on a small set of fixed phrases, and several of them fix the preposition for you.

Everyday thanks

These need no preposition at all, and the intensifier goes straight after merci.

Merci beaucoup.: Thank you very much.
Merci mille fois.: Thanks a million.
Non merci, ça va.: No thanks, I'm fine.
Merci quand même.: Thanks anyway.

Merci alone can mean no thank you when you are offered something, so tone and context carry a lot of weight.

Written and professional formulas

Emails and letters lean on merci de and on the verb remercier, which takes de in careful usage.

Merci d'avance pour votre retour.: Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Je vous remercie de votre message.: Thank you for your message.
Merci de me confirmer votre présence.: Please confirm that you're coming.
Merci de votre compréhension.: Thank you for your understanding.

Remercier quelqu'un de is the traditional form; remercier quelqu'un pour is now common and no longer criticised.

Signs and announcements

Public notices use merci de plus an infinitive where English uses please. The politeness is real but the instruction is not optional.

Merci de ne pas fumer.: No smoking, please.
Merci de laisser cet endroit propre.: Please leave this place clean.
Merci de vous présenter à l'accueil.: Please report to reception.

Note where the negative goes: merci de ne pas fumer, with ne pas in front of the infinitive.

Merci De vs. Merci Pour FAQs

Is it merci de or merci pour?: De before a verb, pour before a concrete thing: merci d'avoir appelé, merci pour les fleurs. With an abstract noun such as patience or aide both work, and de is the more formal choice.
Why is it merci d'avoir and not merci pour avoir?: Because merci pour cannot take an infinitive. Only de can introduce a verb here, and it elides before the vowel of avoir, which is why merci d'avoir is one of the most frequent phrases in written French.
What does merci de bien vouloir mean?: It is a formal way of saying please be so kind as to: merci de bien vouloir remplir ce formulaire, please kindly fill in this form. It appears constantly in administrative French and is more polite than a bare imperative.
How do I thank a person rather than an action?: Use à: merci à toi, merci à vous, merci à tous. You can combine the two in one sentence: merci à vous pour votre patience, or merci à toi d'avoir attendu.
Does merci on its own mean yes or no?: It can mean either, and the tone decides. Offered another coffee, merci with a small nod often means no; if you want the coffee, say oui, merci or volontiers. Non merci removes the ambiguity entirely.