danken
to thank
To express one's gratitude to someone for something.
EXAMPLE
Ich möchte Ihnen herzlich für Ihre Unterstützung danken.
I would like to sincerely thank you for your support.
danken
to thank
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
danken
to decline
To politely but firmly decline an offer.
EXAMPLE
Möchtest du noch ein Stück Kuchen? – Nein, danke, ich bin wirklich satt.
Would you like another piece of cake? – No, thank you, I'm really full.
zu danken haben
to have to thank
For someone or something to be responsible for a positive or negative result; to owe something to someone.
EXAMPLE
Diesen ganzen Ärger haben wir nur seiner Unvorsichtigkeit zu danken.
We have only his carelessness to thank for all this trouble.
Usage tips
Dative construction
The verb 'danken' (to thank) requires a special sentence structure: the person you are thanking is always in the dative. The reason for the thanks is expressed with the preposition 'für' (for) and the accusative.
EXAMPLE
Ich danke dir für deine Hilfe.
I thank you for your help.
Word family
'Danken' (to thank) belongs to a word family with the noun 'der Dank' (thanks/gratitude) and the adjective 'dankbar' (grateful). All of these words express gratitude.
EXAMPLE
Vielen Dank für das tolle Geschenk!
Many thanks for the great gift!
Declining an offer
To politely decline an offer, people often say 'Nein, danke' (No, thank you). Sometimes just 'Danke' (thanks) is enough, with the intonation and situation making it clear that it is a refusal.
EXAMPLE
Möchten Sie noch Kaffee? – Nein, danke, ich habe genug.
Would you like more coffee? – No, thank you, I've had enough.
Fixed expression
The idiom 'jemandem etwas zu danken haben' (to have someone to thank for something) means that someone is responsible for a result. It is often used ironically for negative consequences.
EXAMPLE
Dass wir den Zug verpasst haben, haben wir nur dir zu danken.
We have only you to thank for the fact that we missed the train.
Compare with
danken vs ablehnen
to reject
Ablehnen neutrally indicates that you do not accept an offer. Danken can express the same refusal in a set polite response, with the thanks to the person making the offer taking center stage. Use ablehnen for the act of refusing and danken for a polite personal response.
danken
Mara dankt für das angebotene Stück Kuchen, möchte aber keines.
Mara thanks them for the offered piece of cake but does not want any.
ablehnen
Mara lehnt das angebotene Stück Kuchen ab.
Mara rejects the offered piece of cake.
In real life
Loading video examples...