Modern German Grammar: A Practical Guide, Second Edition

(b) Other possible responses are:

Nichts zu danken!

Don’t mention it.

Keine Ursache!

Not at all./Think nothing of it. (lit. no cause)

Gern geschehen!

You’re welcome.

Das ist doch nicht der Rede wert./Das ist doch selbstverständlich.

Don’t mention it. (lit. That’s hardly worth mentioning)

 See 20.3 (p. 32) for the use of the genitive with certain adjectives.

Schon gut!

That’s all right

Note that schon gut! is also used in response to a suggestion or a complaint in the sense

of ‘yes, all right’.

(c) To say something was received gratefully, use dankend or mit Dank:

Sie nahm das Buch mit Dank/dankend an.

She accepted the book with gratitude/gratefully.

67.5 Declining help and offers

(a) To turn down an offer of material help of some sort, say:

Das darf/kann ich nicht (von Ihnen) an*nehmen.

I am not allowed/cannot accept that (from you).

This might be followed by:

Trotzdem vielen Dank.

Thanks all the same.

(b) When telling someone not to meddle (declining help when it has not been

requested, as it were), say:

Das geht Sie gar nichts an.

That’s none of your business.

This rather rude formulation can be rendered less harsh by adapting it slightly:

Entschuldigen Sie, aber das geht Sie wirklich nichts an!

Excuse me, but that really isn’t any of your business.

Alternatively, use the fairly neutral:

Das betrifft Sie doch nicht.

That doesn’t concern you.

Another, less forceful expression is:

Entschuldigen Sie, aber überlassen Sie das bitte mir.

Please leave that to me, if you don’t mind.

67

Giving/receiving thanks