Can I use "all right" in reply to a "thank you" ?

[fruitninja]

I have heard someone said "Ok" to reply to a "Thank you". I believe that "all right" has the same meaning as "Ok". So, can I use it to reply to a "Thank you"? I've used it before, but I feel like it's a little impolite; it's like "not care that the other person is grateful to you".

 

[GoesStation]

Stick with "you're welcome".

 

[tedmc]

"OK" or "alright" sound pretty meaningless to me.
What are they supposed to mean? What is OK or alright?
In Australia, it is common to hear " no worries".
No worries about what? It is a local culture of course and does not have to mean anything.

 

[andrewg927]

In the US, you often hear "no worries" as well. No worries about what? About being overly appreciative.

I sometimes use "yeah" or "of course" in response to "thank you" but "OK" and "alright" are strange.

 

[emsr2d2]

You're right that "OK" and "all right" sound somewhat abrupt and I wouldn't use the latter. However, saying "That's OK" is commonly heard in BrE. "You're welcome" is the most polite and you can't go wrong if you use it. You'll also hear "No problem" and, occasionally, "No worries" though I still associate the latter with Australian English.

 

[Rover_KE]

I'll never forget thanking an American gent for holding a door open for me at the Yosemite National Park gift shop.

He replied 'Certainly' - non-standard but refreshing*.

*

refreshing

pleasingly fresh or different

(Random House Dictionary)

 

[Lynxear]

My responses to "thank you" are:

1. You're welcome.
2. No problem.
3. It's nothing.
4.

Which one I used depends on the context of the situation.

 

[Polyester]

I think "Thank you, you are welcome" is okay.

 

[tedmc]

I think "Thank you, you are welcome" is okay.

Not when it is said by the same person.

 

[fruitninja]

I know "you're welcome" is the most common reply. But it doesn't really make sense to me; welcome to what? And in some cases, I don't really want to do the thing. For examples, the boss assigns me a job to do, and he says "Thank you"; or I hold the door for someone. Sometimes, they are just things that I'm supposed to do in that circumstance. "You're welcome" is polite, but doesn't reflect the true feeling; because I'm not really happy to do it.
"Sure", "Of course", "Certainly" don't sound fine to me. Do they mean the other person is supposed to thank you, when you do them a favor?
"Ok" , to me, it's fine. It's like, accept the other person's appreciation. But "all right" is a little abrupt, indeed.
In my opinion, "No problem" is another good option. "No worries" is, of course, doesn't make any sense; like 'andrewg927' said, worry about what?

 

[Lynxear]

I know "you're welcome" is the most common reply. But it doesn't really make sense to me; welcome to what? And in some cases, I don't really want to do the thing. For examples, the boss assigns me a job to do, and he says "Thank you"; or I hold the door for someone. Sometimes, they are just things that I'm supposed to do in that circumstance. "You're welcome" is polite, but doesn't reflect the true feeling; because I'm not really happy to do it.
"Sure", "Of course", "Certainly" don't sound fine to me. Do they mean the other person is supposed to thank you, when you do them a favor?
"Ok" , to me, it's fine. It's like, accept the other person's appreciation. But "all right" is a little abrupt, indeed.

You don't sound like a happy person when you say this.

 

[andrewg927]

If you don't want to hold the door for someone, then don't. By the way, you have the option of not saying anything in response to "thank you", especially strangers.

But don't hold the door and then say "I hate that I have to hold it for you".

 

[Barb_D]

It seems every native speaker has said "okay" is not an appropriate response. It's really not "fine" to say it.

Other things you can say (not fruitninja, apparently) are "My pleasure" or "glad to help."

 

[GoesStation]

Polite fixed phrases don't have to make literal sense. Nobody who says You're welcome thinks anything further about what it means.