After someone says grazie (thank you) or grazie mille (many thanks/a thousand thanks), what do you say? There are various choices, so let's take a look.  Here is the most basic answer, and it's the one you might already have learned. 

Per festeggiare, ti offro un gelato. Grazie! -Prego.

To celebrate, I'll treat you to an ice cream. Thanks! -You're welcome.

Captions 36-37, Francesca alla guida - Part 3

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The only tricky thing about prego is that it can mean a host of things, such as "this way," "go ahead," "after you," "here you are." See this lesson about pregare, the verb from which prego (the first person singular of pregare) stems. 

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Another common way to say "You're welcome!" is di niente or di nulla. They both mean, literally, "of nothing." This response implies that granting whatever is being thanked for was not a burden or problem.  

Grazie per l'assistenza. Di niente.

Thanks for your help. Think nothing of it.

Captions 53-54, La Ladra EP. 4 - Una magica bionda - Part 1

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These days in English, some people say, "No problem." 

Yet another way of saying "You're welcome" is to question why someone would feel the need to thank you. The full version of the expression is di che cosa (for what [thing])?

È bellissimo! Grazie. -E di cosa?

It's beautiful! Thank you. -And for what? [it was nothing]

Captions 27-28, JAMS S1 EP8 - Part 6

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This can be shortened to e di che (for what)? In other words, what are you thanking me for or why are you thanking me?

Here is a variation, except it's not in the form of a question. 

Non c'è di che.

Don't mention it. (there's nothing to thank me for or "It was nothing."

Caption 74, Sposami EP 4 - Part 7

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When you want to be really clear that you were glad to do the favor, you can say, ci mancherebbe! or ci mancherebbe altro. 

Io gli dico: "Grazie mille!" "È stato gentilissimo". E questo signore mi risponde: "Ci mancherebbe altro".

And I say, “Many thanks!” “You've been very kind.” And this man responds to me with: “It's the least I could do.”

Captions 36-38, Marika spiega Il verbo mancare

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See also Marika's video where she talks about the verb mancare. It's a tricky verb in Italian and used in many situations. See also this lesson about ci mancherebbe.

Yet another response when someone says grazie is: figurati. This is the informal. In our example, before saying "thank you," Pietro's saxophone teacher says, "You shouldn't have." which stands in for "thank you."

Ciao. -Cinzia. [Ho] Portato una bottiglia. Ma non dovevi. Figurati. Grazie mille, eh.

Hi. -Cinzia. [I] brought a bottle. But you shouldn't have. It was nothing. Thanks, a lot, huh.

Captions 1-5, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP5 Rione Serra Venerdì - Part 29

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Here is an example of the same thing, using the polite form.  

Ecco. -Grazie. -Si figuri.

Here. -Thanks. -Don't mention it.

Captions 24-25, Il Commissario Manara S1EP2 - Vendemmia tardiva - Part 13

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Both ci mancherebbe and figurati/si figuri can also be appropriate responses when someone apologizes for something, using, for example, mi scusi (polite) or scusa (informal singular).

There are undoubtedly other ways to say "You're welcome" in Italian, but this list is a good start.  Feel free to let us know if you hear others. We'll add them to this lesson. Thanks for reading!

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In this lesson, we’ll talk about a curious use of the noun imbarazzo (embarrassment). But first let’s look at another word associated with embarrassment: the noun la vergogna and the verb vergognarsi (to be ashamed, to be embarrassed). Here, you need context to help decide if someone is ashamed or embarrassed because they're closely tied.

Valeria, eri disperata, non è colpa tua.

Valeria, you were desperate. It's not your fault.

Però mi vergogno molto.

But I'm very ashamed.

Captions 6-7, La Ladra - Ep. 1 - Le cose cambiano - Part 8

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In the following example, the meaning is more of embarrassment. Note that the speaker is using the subjunctive.

Suo padre alleva pecore. È normale che se ne vergogni un po', no?

Her father raises sheep. It's normal for her to be a bit embarrassed about it, right?

Captions 69-70, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 2

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Italian often uses the noun form imbarazzo (embarrassment) with the preposition in (in) when expressing embarrassment, as in the following example.

Te ne sei andata come se avessi visto il diavolo.

You took off as if you'd seen the devil.

Scusami, non so che cosa mi è preso, forse mi sono sentita in imbarazzo.

Sorry, I don't know what came over me, maybe I felt embarrassed.

Captions 27-28, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP5 - Il Raggio Verde - Part 12

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In this week’s segment of La Ladra, Dante and Eva’s son are looking at bicycles, to replace Eva’s old bike, which Dante inadvertently wrecked. The bike store proprietor says:

Ecco, non c'è che l'imbarazzo della scelta.

Here we are. Just an embarrassment of riches to choose from.

Caption 37, La Ladra - Ep. 4 - Una magica bionda - Part 1

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The above translation uses an English idiom, which comes from an 18th-century French play. “Embarras” in French means “embarrassment” or “confusion.”  We could also say that the choice is overwhelming or almost embarrassing, because every item is worthy of being chosen.

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L’imbarazzo della scelta is a great expression to be familiar with because it’s used quite often when someone is a presented with a vast choice of great things to choose from, for example: What Italian city would you like to visit? C'è solo l'imbarazzo della scelta. The problem is choosing one!