"No problem"

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wotcha

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 29, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Korean
Home Country
South Korea
Current Location
South Korea
We reply to 'Thank you" like...

You're welcome
Don't mention it
Thank you
My pleasure
No problem

We also answer to "I'm sorry" by saying....

It's okay
That's alright/ fine.
Don't worry about it
No worries
No problem

My questions here are;

1) Is "No problem" a reply to both "Thank you" and "Sorry"?

2) Can we say "Not at all" in reply to "Than you" as well as "Sorry"?

3) What kinds of replies do you know more? ^^;
 
We reply to 'Thank you" like...

You're welcome
Don't mention it
Thank you
My pleasure
No problem

We also answer to "I'm sorry" by saying....

It's okay
That's alright/ fine.
Don't worry about it
No worries
No problem

My questions here are;

1) Is "No problem" a reply to both "Thank you" and "Sorry"? Yes, but not that common.

2) Can we say "Not at all" in reply to "Than you" as well as "Sorry"? No, we can't say "not at all" in response to "thank you".

3) What kinds of replies do you know more? ^^; I think it depends on the situation. But the most common answers to "sorry" are "no problem" or " don't worry". And the answer to "thank you" is "you're welcome"
EF
 
"Not at all" is a perfectly acceptable, if perhaps just a little formal and old-fashioned, response to "Thank you".
 
I have to go on record to state my objection to "no problem" as a response to "thank you." Yes it's common but I find it rude and graceless.

When a server in a restaurant gives me my meal and I say "thank you" and I get "no problem" as the response I have to fight the urge to say "I know it's not a problem. In fact it's what you're getting paid to do."

A local fast food place has trained their employees to always respond with "It's my pleasure." I appreciate that.
 
I agree with BarbD. Over the last few years, "No problem" and "Sure" have become quite common responses to "Thank you" and I don't like either of them.

My personal favourite is "You're welcome".

Of course, being British, quite frequently the response is "No, no, thank you" which can lead to a pointless exchange of "Thank you"s which goes on and on!
 
I don't like No problem there either.
 
My generation (born pre-1950) of speakers of BrE has had to learn to make a response. A small smile of acknowledgement was all that was required if the thanks were for something small. If you had put some time, effort or money into what you were being thanked for, then 'not at all' was the best response. 'Don't mention it' was possible', but anything else was considered infra dig.

Infra dig
 
I have to go on record to state my objection to "no problem" as a response to "thank you." Yes it's common but I find it rude and graceless.

When a server in a restaurant gives me my meal and I say "thank you" and I get "no problem" as the response I have to fight the urge to say "I know it's not a problem. In fact it's what you're getting paid to do."

A local fast food place has trained their employees to always respond with "It's my pleasure." I appreciate that.

Suppose you're touring in a foreign country and is invited by a local to take a picture with him.What lies behind your mind if you response with "No problem" to his "Thank you"?

Thank you.
 
Suppose you're touring in a foreign country and is invited by a local to take a picture with him.What lies behind your mind if you response with "No problem" to his "Thank you"?

Thank you.

I'm not sure I understand the question. I'm trying to work out the dialogue:

Local: Would you like to have your photo taken with me?
Me: Yes please.
Local: OK, let's give the camera to someone else.
Me: OK. I'm ready.
(Photo of you and the local is taken)
Local: Thank you.
Me: No problem.

There's nothing wrong with that exchange, but as a lot of us have said, we simply don't like "No problem" as a response to "Thank you". It's not wrong, we just don't like it.
 
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