this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2025
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Ok, Lemmy, let's another play a game!

And I honestly think this one’s more important.

Post how many languages in which you can say Please and Thank You, including your native language. If you can, please provide which languages and how to phonetically say them so the rest of us can learn!

I spent a fair amount of bopping around Europe in the early Aughts and as a native English speaker, I found everyone appreciating my bad mangled attempts at politeness.

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[–] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 3 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

Please and thank you

S'il vous plait et merci

And in ASL but that dont translate to text too well.

I just looked up please and thank you in ASL and now I know. Thank you.

[–] ThePancakeExperiment@feddit.org 2 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 59 minutes ago)

I know some, I guess, hope I do not butcher them:

German(native): Bitte/ Danke (sehr) or Vielen Dank,

English: please/ thank you (very much),

Japanese: どうぞ or おねがいします or ください/ (どうも)ありがとう(ございます) (Which is douzo (when you offer someone something, I think, onegaishimasu/kudasai (if you want something or someone to do something, which is following the request.)/ (domo)arigatou(gozaimasu),

Norwegian: vær så snill / (tusen) takk,
(Which is like "Sei so gut/lieb"/ "Tausend Dank" in German.),

Romanian: vă rog or te rog (formal/informal)/ mulțumesc ((foarte) mult) or mersi (mult) (ă is a short a, I guess and ț is like the ts from "its", or a German z)

French: s'il vous plait (that one I had to look up on how to write)/ merci

Polish: proszę (bardzo)/ dzięki or dziękuję (bardzo) (Like proshe/ djenki/djenkuje)(ę is nasalized)

Portuguese: faz favor or por favor/ obrigado or obrigada (male/female) (o is spoken like an u) (I do not know much Portuguese (like French and Polish), in my book (European Portuguese faz favor and por favor are used, but I do not know the differences.)

[–] Bieren@lemmy.world 3 points 21 hours ago (2 children)
  1. Merican. Gods language and the best language. You know I speak better Merican that anyone ever did. The best. Everyone says it. One time I was talking to Elon. I call him fuck boy the cum dumpster. No one treats me like he does. But, he was telling me you speak the best Merican. No one can talk as good as you do. Everyone says it. Maybe I should write a book about how good my English is. It would be the most huge book ever.

/s

That orange man has never said Please in his entire lifetime

You speak such good Merican that I'm going to trust you with our nuclear codes

[–] PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (1 children)

i can say thank you in more languages than i can say please in.

perhaps that says something about me

Obligado

Dankeschön

Merci Beaucop

Thank you

Gracias

Domo Arigato (only in latin type, i have no chance of reading/spelling anything in Kanji)

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 1 points 20 hours ago

You've nailed my languages:

Por favor (you'll see this later)

Bitte (had to check the spelling, but I knew how to say it)

S'il vous plait

Pleeeeeeeeeease

Por favor

I dunno about Japanese.

I can also say it in sign language.

For reference, I am a 37 year old dude from Jersey. I took French in middle and high school (we got to go to Quebec in the eighth grade because someone thought that was a good idea). We have large spanish and Portuguese speaking populations, and my mom's stepmother was also from Cuba, so we got some lessons early on. My high school girlfriend did the German thing so I picked up a little (ich haba einen bruder). Wife speaks pretty fluent sign language. Can also say Kurwa, but that's neither please nor thank you.

[–] CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

English and Japanese (I don't speak much Japanese at all but I know these specific word!)

[–] dumbass@leminal.space 2 points 22 hours ago

2 English and German

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I can only speak three but I really used to try to learn some others but suck at it. I praise people who can learn grammatically challenging languages

[–] showmeyourkizinti@startrek.website 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’ve found that most people really appreciate even just the attempt at their own language. The fact that you’re trying goes a long way with most people.

Excepting Americans and sometimes the French. /s

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I fully agree! Paraphrasing the Nelson Mandela quote that got me into college and grad school “if you speak to a man in a language he understands it goes to his head, but if you speak to a man in his language it goes to his heart.”

Idk I feel my partners English is received well by Americans but yes French and Parisians are something else

I actually really like most Parisians the only people in France I found to be rude were those who worked in the tourist areas like the Riviera. But honestly I can’t blame them tourists can be so annoying

[–] Texas_Hangover@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ah yes the Texas thank you 😝

[–] stelelor@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

In the order I learned them:

  • 🇷🇴 Romanian: Vă rog / Mulțumesc (native)

  • 🇨🇵 French: S'il-vous-plaît / Merci

  • 🇬🇧 English: Please / Thank you

  • 🇪🇦 Spanish: Por favor / Gracias

  • 🇯🇵 Japanese: Onegai / Arigato

  • 🇨🇳 Mandarin: Qing / Xiè xie

  • 🇮🇹 Italian: Per favore / Grazie

  • 🇩🇪 German: Bitte / Danke

  • 🇷🇺 Russian: Pozhalusta / Spasiba

Thanks I knew spasiba but Pozhalusta I just learned.

[–] neidu3@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Only English. The words are entirely different in the other languages I know.

You know don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Just trying fucking it up is still heaps better then not even trying.

[–] RandomVideos@programming.dev 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Please and thank you

Te rog si multumesc

Bitte und danke

I dont know how to explain how to say a word to someone if they dont speak romanian

[–] showmeyourkizinti@startrek.website 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Thanks Romanian sounds quite challenging

[–] RandomVideos@programming.dev 2 points 22 hours ago

Speaking romanian is the easiest part of the language. I have heard from people trying to learn the language that the grammar is hard

[–] jwr1@kbin.earth 17 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Do programming languages count? :)

Here's Go:

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Please and Thank You")
}
[–] jwr1@kbin.earth 1 points 1 day ago

Why is it that this got the most upvotes, compared to the more genuine comments in this thread? :)

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[–] josteinsn@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Define language… Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, English, French, German, BHS (Bosnian Croatian, Serbian), Esperanto, Czech, Russian, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish… i think that’s it.

[–] cute_noker 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Pretty cool that you can say "please" in Danish since the word doesn't exist in the language.

[–] josteinsn@lemmy.world 2 points 17 hours ago

Vær så venlig?

But what about cobol and C++? /s

[–] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Languages I'm fluent:

  • Spanish (Por favor, Gracias)
  • Portuguese (Por favor, Obrigado/a)
  • English (Please, Thank you)

Languages I can mostly understand but I'm a disaster speaking:

  • Italian (Per favore, Grazie)
  • Catalan (Si us plau, Merci (Technically Gracies, but most people use Merci))

Languages I can speak small child like phrases and express some simple things (although I'm very rusty in both of them):

  • Russian (пожалуйста (Pajalsta), спасибо (Spaciba))
  • German (Bitte, Danke)

Languages I can say "I'm sorry, I don't speak X, do you speak English?" (Which I think is more important than just please and thank you)

  • French (Si vous plat, Merci)
  • Dutch ( [don't know this one], dank je)
  • Finnish ( * , Kiitos)

Languages I can say Please and thank you (because I've seen enough TV in this language):

  • Japanese (Onegai, Arigato)

* There's no word for please in Finnish, which you'd think makes the language sound harsh, but I think it's the other way around, it makes everyone be polite by default, when going into a coffee shop and saying "one coffee" is the equivalent to "hello, can I please have one coffee, thanks" it's hard to be rude.

[–] NightFantom@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Can you expand on the Finnish? Is it engrained in the language somehow?

[–] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I don't really speak Finnish, so probably someone can expand better, but AFAIK they don't have a word for Please. When I was in Finland I went to a coffee place with a friend, and noticed he said "yksi kahvi" which literally means one coffee, when he got his coffee he said "Kiitos" (thanks), I noticed no one used any recurring word that could mean Please, so I asked my friend and he said something like "They're all being polite, we just don't have a word for please, one could say something like: I would like a coffee, Thanks. But that's just overcomplicated"

[–] umbraroze@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago

Native here. I think this is pretty accurate. Politeness is usually tied to other phrasings or modes of speaking, and as an ESL speaker I just think "please" is just a word that gets sprinkled in. In everyday conversations like buying something, it's kinda more polite to get the thing over with as fast as possible. If you just want a coffee, you don't need more than "hey" and "thanks" to be nice, right?

That said, it's definitely not impossible to be explicitly polite: "Ole hyvä"/"Olkaa hyvä" ("[You] (2p. sg./pl.) be kind") is basically "please" as in "could you do..." or "here you go, have this" or "go ahead and do that" depending on context. "Ole kiltti" ("[You] (2p.sg.) be nice") is "please" as in "would you be especially kind to do..." But as you can see, these are basically direct orders, it's "be kind", not "please be kind".

[–] NightFantom@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago

So like impolite would be "give me a coffee", polite is "would you give me a coffee?" instead of "coffee please". Makes sense, thanks!

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[–] DeuxChevaux@lemmy.world 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Bissäguet, Merci (Swiss German)
Bitte, Danke (German)
Please, thank you (English)
S'il vous plait, merci (French)
Par favore, grazie (Italian)
Bonvolu, dankon (Esperanto)
Onegaishimasu, Arigatougozaimasu (Japanese)

[–] stoy@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

Swedish, German, English, Spanish,

[–] SeekPie@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

Estonian: Palun / Aitäh

English: Please / Thank you

[–] Mr_Fish@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Two languages. English and Maori.

Thank you in Maori is "kia ora" (key-ah or-ah, but mostly said more like k-your-ah). Literally translates to "be well", kia meaning be, ora meaning life/wellness.

Please in Maori is a bit less clear. There is the word "koa" (I don't know how to phonetically write it, but all the letters are pronounced the same as above), but that's a concept that came with pakeha (European settlers). Before that, it was more about the tone of the request.

Edit: actually I do know more, but English and Maori are the two main languages I know any of.

[–] owatnext@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

"Please" and "thank you". English.

(Pleez ahnd thank yehw)

"Oes gwelwch chi'n dda" ac "diolch". Welsh/Cymraeg.

(Oys gwel ook kheen thza ak deeolkh)

"Por favor" y "gracías". Spanish/español.

(Pour fah vour ee gras ee AHS)

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Real languages only, please!

/s

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[–] redbr64@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

In order of fluency (for languages spoken, although German was only studied and any fluency has rusted out):

Portuguese: Por Favor/Obrigado

English: Please/Thank you

Spanish: Por Favor/Gracias

Farsi: Lotfan/Merci (plus many more elaborate ways of thanking)

German: Bitte/Danke

For languages I don't speak at all, but only know because of friends who are native speakers:

French: s'il vous plait/merci

Romanian: Va rog/multumesc

Italian: Per favore/Grazie

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[–] Onionguy@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago

German Bitte, Danke

English U KNOW

French S'il vous plâit, merci

Spanish Por favor, graçias

Italian Per favore, grazie

Czech Prossim, djekuju

...6 ig :D

[–] randombullet@programming.dev 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Mostly thanks because that's the only word I learned when I'm visiting.

obrigado, obrigada - Portuguese Bitte/Danke - Deutsch dack - Dutch Gratzi - Italian Por favor/Gracias - Spanish Takk - norge Merci - French 不好意思。/ 謝謝 - Chinese ありがとう - Japanese Oi cunt / thank ye cunt

[–] lucg@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

dack - Dutch

Dutch is alsjeblieft (informal), alstublieft (formal), thanks (informal), dankjewel (informal), or dankuwel (formal). The former probably means "as you desired" in old Dutch, the latter "thank you well", and the formal/informal variants simply insert the right word for "you" (je or u). And then there's thanks being commonly used. Or also bedankt, sounds kinda formal to me as well, not sure when you'd use that instead of dankuwel

Just "dank" (maybe you wrote that and autocorrupt kicked in?) is not really a thing we say, it just means "thank" which you'd also not say by itself in English (unless you're Rocky)

Edit: writing "dank" in an English sentence feels like everyone will think our thank-yous are like dank memes. The pronunciation of the "a" there is as in Clark; the English pronunciation of dank would map to denk in Dutch and means think!

[–] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

For me: English, Irish, french, German, Indonesian, Malaysian (same as Indonesian), japanese I've thank you in Turkish, Thai,

For Irish Please is: le do thoil (é). Translates as; by your will (it). Pronounce : le duh hull ay.

For thank you: Go raibh (míle) maith agat. Translates as may (a thousand) good things be/fall upon you. Pronounce : guh rev mee-la moh a-gut

For pronunciation, I'm using Munster dialect. It can be quite different for other dialects.

Other languages seem to be covered by others, so I thought I'd add the Irish in more detail.

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