In short – ‘muchos gracias’ or ‘mucho gracias’ are both INCORRECT. The correct way to say ‘thank you very much’ in Spanish is ALWAYS ‘muchas gracias’.
But why is this the case?
Well, the adjective (‘muchas’) needs to agree with the noun (‘gracias’) in both gender and number.
This may sound complicated at first – I mean, English nouns don’t even have a gender – but fret not, because in this article I’m gonna clear this matter up once and for all!
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
‘Muchas gracias’ is composed of two words:
1 ‘Muchas’ is a feminine, plural adjective that can mean ‘a lot’ and ‘many’.
Tengo muchas razones para creerlo = I have many reasons to believe it
2 ‘Gracias’ (feminine noun) is the Spanish equivalent of ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’.
Gracias por el pastel, mamá = Thanks for the cake, mom
¡Muchas gracias por acompañarme! = Thank you so much for joining me!
‘Muchos gracias’ / ‘mucho gracias’ meaning
As I mentioned previously, NEITHER ‘muchos gracias’ NOR ‘mucho gracias’ are correct.
I’m going to fully dissect the CORRECT phrase (i.e., ‘muchas gracias’), so that you’ll understand exactly why this is!
First, let’s take a closer look at the noun: ‘gracias’.
‘Gracias’ is a PLURAL noun that means ‘thanks’ or ‘thank you’.
Tread carefully though because the SINGULAR noun (i.e., ‘gracia’), is NEVER used to express gratitude.
‘Gracia’ actually translates to either ‘grace’ or ‘funny’ –
Quisiera* lograr la gracia con la que nadan los cisnes.
I’d like to swim with the grace of a swan.
La verdad es que no le encuentro la gracia a esa comedia.
I honestly don’t find that comedy funny.
Erika´s note – ‘quisiera’ is used to talk about wishes and desires (a bit like the English ‘I would like’); check out our piece on ‘quisiera’ vs ‘me gustaría’ if you’d like to know more!
In its plural form, ‘gracias’ becomes the equivalent of both ‘thanks’ and ‘thank you’ in English –
Gracias por el té; estaba delicioso.
Thanks for the tea; it was delicious.
In Spanish, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they describe, so if you want to say ‘thank you very much’, you need to use the feminine plural adjective ‘muchas’.
mucho (masculine singular) = mucho gracias
muchos (masculine plural) = muchos gracias
mucha (feminine singular) = mucha gracias
muchas (feminine plural) = muchas gracias
Here are some examples –
Lalo – ¿Qué tal quedó el pavo de Navidad?
Imelda – Quedó riquísimo. ¡Muchas gracias por la receta!
Lalo – How was the Christmas turkey?
Imelda – It was delicious. Thank you very much for the recipe!
Muchas gracias por escucharme; realmente lo necesitaba.
Thanks so much for listening to me; I really needed it.
Dolores – Muchas gracias por cuidar a mi perrito.
Tati – Oh, no hay de qué*.
Dolores – Thank you so much for taking care of my puppy.
Tati – Oh, you’re welcome.
*Erika’s top tip – although ‘gracias’ and ‘muchas gracias’ are pretty much customary when saying ‘thank you’, there are some super fun ways to say ‘you’re welcome’ in Spanish, such as ‘no hay de qué’.
Similar expressions to ‘muchas gracias’
Muchísimas gracias
This phrase expresses immense appreciation!
‘Muchísimas’ is the superlative form of ‘muchas’, so it would be akin to saying, ‘thank you very, very much’.
Use it whenever you wanna give an ardent demonstration of gratitude –
Héctor – Disculpe, ¿es de usted este gatito? Lo encontré ayer en la noche …
Anaís – ¡Dios mío! ¡Muchísimas gracias! ¡Llevo horas buscándolo!
Héctor – Excuse me, is this kitten yours? I found it last night …
Anaís – Oh my God! Thank you so very much! I’ve been looking for him for hours!
Muchísimas gracias por donar sangre para mi hermano, ¿cómo puedo compensarte?
Thanks so much for donating blood to my brother, how can I make it up to you?
Mil gracias
This literally translates to ‘a thousand thanks’ and it’s a bit like the English expression ‘thanks a million’.
¡Mil gracias, mi amor! ¡Es la mejor sorpresa de cumpleaños!
Thanks a million, my love! This is the best birthday surprise ever!
Madre – ¿Cómo sigues, hijo? ¿Ya te sientes mejor?
Hijo – Mucho mejor, mamá. ¡Mil gracias por el caldito de pollo!
Mother – How are you doing, son? Do you feel any better?
Son – Much better, mom. Thank you so much for the chicken broth!
Te agradezco
‘Te agradezco’ means ‘I thank you’ or ‘I appreciate it’, and although it sounds a bit less effusive than ‘muchísimas gracias’ or ‘mil gracias’, it’s still a great way of saying ‘thank you’.
En una llamada de atención a cliente
Operador – ¿Algo más en qué le pueda ayudar?
Cliente – No. Te agradezco el apoyo; fue de gran ayuda.
On a customer service call
Operator – Is there anything else I can help you with?
Client – No. I appreciate the support; it really helped me out.
Final thoughts
Although most Spanish-speakers are incredibly patient with non-natives, mastering a new language and being able to speak it as fluently as possible always feels rewarding, so I hope this guide has helped you to grasp this essential part of the Spanish language!
Ready for the next challenge? I suggest you head on over next to our article on the meaning of ‘uno momento’!
Sneak peak: we actually say ‘un momento’!