On this page13 sections
- Quick picker
- "I was glad to do it"
- "It was no trouble"
- "Ask me again"
- Casual replies between friends
- "Our pleasure" and replies for businesses
- Replying to a thank-you email
- British, American and Australian habits
- Making any reply sound sincere
- Mix-ups that really happen
- Short exchanges
- Practice
- Quick answers
Other ways to say “my pleasure” after someone thanks you include happy to help, glad I could help, you’re welcome, you’re very welcome, anytime, no problem, it was no trouble at all and, more formally, it was a pleasure. For a business, it’s our pleasure or we’re glad we could help work best.
“My pleasure” itself is polite, warm and never rude. It simply says you were glad to do it. The alternatives below are grouped by what they add (enjoyment, no trouble, offering to help again) and by setting, with real exchanges, the mix-ups learners actually make, a short practice set and quick answers. If someone has just said it was a pleasure to meet you, that is a different reply; see other ways to say it was a pleasure meeting you.
Quick picker
| Situation | Good replies |
|---|---|
| a colleague thanks you for a small favour | Happy to help. / No problem. / Anytime. |
| your manager or a client thanks you | You’re very welcome. / Glad I could help. / It was a pleasure. |
| a customer thanks you (service job) | You’re welcome. / It’s my pleasure. / Happy to help, have a good day. |
| a company replying in writing | It’s our pleasure. / We’re glad we could help. |
| a friend thanks you | No worries. / Anytime. / Sure thing. / Of course! |
| you went to real trouble for them | I was glad to do it. / I’m just glad it worked out. |
| the favour was tiny | No problem. / Not at all. / Don’t mention it. |
| a hard time (illness, grief, a move) | Of course. / I’m glad I could be there. / I’d do it again. |
| a thank-you email | Glad it helped! / You’re welcome, let me know if you need anything else. |
“I was glad to do it”
These are the closest in meaning to “my pleasure”. They say that helping was not a burden but something you liked doing.
| Reply | Tone | In use |
|---|---|---|
| Happy to help. | friendly, fits almost anywhere | “Thanks for looking over my slides.” “Happy to help.” |
| Glad I could help. | warm; suggests the help worked | “The printer’s working again, thank you!” “Glad I could help.” |
| It was a pleasure. | a little formal, gracious | “Thank you for showing us round the museum.” “It was a pleasure.” |
| The pleasure was mine. / The pleasure was all mine. | formal and gracious; best when you also enjoyed the experience | “Thank you for a lovely dinner.” “The pleasure was all mine.” |
| I was glad to do it. | sincere, for bigger favours | “Thanks for driving Mum to the hospital.” “I was glad to do it.” |
| I enjoyed it. | plain and honest | “Thanks for helping with the garden.” “Honestly, I enjoyed it.” |
| Anything for you. | affectionate, for close friends, partners, family | “You’re the best for picking me up.” “Anything for you.” |
“It was no trouble”
These play the favour down, which makes the other person feel they have not imposed. They suit small favours. For something that cost you real time or effort, playing it down too far can sound as if you are brushing their thanks aside.
| Reply | Tone | In use |
|---|---|---|
| You’re welcome. / You’re very welcome. | the standard reply, neutral in every register; “very” makes it warmer | “Thank you for your help today.” “You’re very welcome.” |
| No problem. | everyday and friendly | “Thanks for holding the lift.” “No problem.” |
| No trouble at all. / It was no trouble. | polite, reassuring | “Sorry to make you wait, and thanks.” “No trouble at all.” |
| Not at all. | polite, more common in British English | “Thank you for coming so quickly.” “Not at all.” |
| Don’t mention it. | friendly, slightly old-fashioned | “Thanks for lending me the umbrella.” “Don’t mention it.” |
| It was nothing. | casual; only for genuinely small things | “Thanks for fixing my bike chain.” “It was nothing.” |
| No worries. | casual; Australian in origin, now common in Britain and North America | “Cheers for the lift.” “No worries.” |
“Ask me again”
These go one step further than “my pleasure”: they offer to help next time too.
- Anytime. Friendly and very common. “Thanks for the ride.” “Anytime!”
- Anytime you need it. / Just let me know if you need anything else. Good at work and in customer service.
- That’s what friends are for. Warm; only for real friends.
- Happy to help anytime. Combines both ideas, good in emails.
- I’ve got you. / I got you. Very casual, mostly American; means “I’ve got your back”.
Casual replies between friends
- Sure thing. Relaxed and friendly, mainly North American.
- You bet. American and Canadian; means “of course”.
- Of course! Shows that helping was natural.
- No prob. Very casual, often in texts.
- Cheers. In Britain, used both to say thanks and, loosely, to accept thanks.
- Any time, mate. British and Australian.
Not every casual word works as an answer to thanks. “Cool”, “Word”, “Peace” or “Catch you later” may follow a thank-you in a chat between friends, but they are not replies to it; they change the subject or end the conversation.
“Our pleasure” and replies for businesses
When you speak for a company, hotel, shop or team, our replaces my: “It’s our pleasure”, “We’re delighted you enjoyed your stay”, “We’re glad we could help”. In a written reply to a review or a customer message, add one specific detail so it does not sound copied: “Thank you, Ms Rossi. It was our pleasure to host your daughter’s party, and we’re glad the cake survived the journey home.”
“My pleasure” is strongly associated with customer service. In the United States the restaurant chain Chick-fil-A is well known for staff saying it after every thank-you, and many hotels train staff to use it. That is why some people hear it as scripted. Said with a smile and eye contact, it still sounds sincere; said the same way fifty times a day, it can sound like a reflex, and a plain “You’re welcome” may feel more natural.
If the thanks comes after a business deal rather than a favour, see other ways to say pleasure doing business with you.
Replying to a thank-you email
A thank-you email often needs no reply at all. If it closes a conversation (“Thanks, that’s everything I needed”), answering can simply add another message to someone’s inbox. Reply when:
- the person is a client or senior colleague and a short acknowledgement is polite;
- you want to offer more help or keep the conversation open;
- they asked a question in the same email.
Keep it short: “You’re welcome, glad it was useful.” / “My pleasure. Let me know how the presentation goes.” / “Happy to help. If anything else comes up before Friday, just send it over.”
British, American and Australian habits
All the main replies are understood everywhere, but each variety has its favourites. In American English, “You’re welcome”, “Sure thing”, “You bet” and “No problem” are everyday choices, and “Uh-huh” or “Mm-hm” with a smile is a common, if very casual, acknowledgement in shops. In British English, “No worries”, “Not at all”, “No problem” and “Cheers” are frequent, and many people skip a reply entirely after small thanks, answering with a nod or simply “That’s all right”. In Australian English, “No worries” is the default and “No dramas” is a cheerful informal variant. In Indian English, “Welcome” or “Most welcome” is the usual reply and sounds perfectly polite to other Indian speakers.
If you are not sure which variety your listener expects, “You’re welcome” and “Happy to help” are safe with everyone.
Making any reply sound sincere
The words matter less than you might think. A rushed “My pleasure” while looking at a screen sounds colder than a warm “No problem” with eye contact. Three small habits help:
- Add the person’s name when you know it: “You’re welcome, Sam.”
- Add one detail that shows you remember what you did: “Glad I could help. Did the tile cutter work in the end?”
- Match the size of the thanks. A heartfelt “I can’t thank you enough” deserves more than “Yep”; a quick “Ta” in a corridor does not need “It was truly my pleasure”.
In a card or a long message, you can answer someone’s thanks with a full sentence rather than a set phrase: “Please don’t thank me. Watching the kids for a weekend was the most fun I’ve had all month.”
Mix-ups that really happen
| What people say | The problem | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Thanks for the coffee!” “You too!” | A common slip of the tongue. “You too” answers a wish (“Have a good weekend”), not thanks. | “You’re welcome!” |
| “Thank you.” “With pleasure.” | “With pleasure” answers a request (“Could you sign this?”); it means “I’ll gladly do it”. After thanks, it sounds slightly off. | “My pleasure.” |
| “Thank you.” “Welcome.” | Normal in Indian English and some other varieties, but in British, American and Australian English “Welcome” alone sounds like a greeting at a door. | “You’re welcome.” |
| “Your welcome.” | Spelling: the phrase is “you are welcome”. | “You’re welcome.” |
| “Thank you so much for staying all night with Dad.” “No problem.” | Too light for a big or emotional favour. | “Of course. I was glad to be there.” |
| “The pleasure is mine” to a stranger who thanked you for directions | Not wrong, but grand for something so small. | “No problem.” / “You’re welcome.” |
Short exchanges
At work:
“Thanks for covering my shift on Saturday, Jo.”
“Happy to help. You can cover mine at Christmas.”
With a client:
“Thank you for turning the report round so quickly.”
“You’re very welcome. I’ll send the final figures on Monday.”
At a hotel desk:
“Thanks for arranging the taxi.”
“It’s my pleasure, Mr Okafor. It’ll be outside at six.”
Between friends:
“You saved me with that charger.”
“No worries. Keep it, I’ve got two.”
After a hard week:
“I don’t know what I’d have done without you this week.”
“You’d have done the same for me. I’m glad I could be there.”
Practice
Choose the reply that fits best.
- A hotel guest thanks the receptionist for booking a table. (It’s my pleasure. / No prob.)
- Your friend thanks you for a lift to the station. (Anytime! / I am at your service.)
- A colleague asks, “Could you send me the file?” (With pleasure. / The pleasure was mine.)
- Your neighbour thanks you for looking after her cat for two weeks. (It was nothing. / I was glad to do it, she was lovely company.)
- A company replies to a customer’s thank-you email. (It’s our pleasure. / It’s my pleasure.)
- Someone says “Thanks!” and you reply “You too!” What should you have said?
- Which is more formal: “No worries” or “You’re very welcome”?
- Correct the spelling: “Your welcome.”
Answers: 1 It’s my pleasure; 2 Anytime!; 3 With pleasure (it answers a request); 4 I was glad to do it (a two-week favour is not “nothing”); 5 It’s our pleasure; 6 “You’re welcome” or “My pleasure”; 7 You’re very welcome; 8 You’re welcome.
Quick answers
Is it rude to say “my pleasure” in response to “thank you”?
No. It is polite and slightly formal. Some people find it scripted when every shop assistant says it, but it is never rude.
What is the difference between “my pleasure” and “you’re welcome”?
“You’re welcome” is the neutral standard reply. “My pleasure” is a little warmer and more formal, and says you actually enjoyed helping.
What can I say instead of “our pleasure”?
“We’re glad we could help”, “We’re delighted you enjoyed it”, “Thank you for choosing us” or “You’re very welcome”. Add a detail from the customer’s message so it sounds personal.
Is “the pleasure is all mine” too formal?
For small favours, yes. It fits best after a dinner, a visit or a first meeting, where you really did enjoy the time together.
How do I respond to “thank you” at work?
“Happy to help”, “Glad I could help” or “You’re welcome” suit nearly every workplace. For more ways to say thanks yourself, see other ways to say thank you very much and funny ways to say thank you.
For idioms, metaphors and other figures of speech in everyday English, see the figurative language guide.