History of saying 'de nada'

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Lou Ann: There isn't a great difference between both, except maybe that "no hay de qué" is a little more formal. But "de nada" is, dare I say, universal.
Both are polite enough for any social context.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Lou Ann: There isn't a great difference between both, except maybe that "no hay de qué" is a little more formal. But "de nada" is, dare I say, universal.
Both are polite enough for any social context.

But how about a professional context? If someone says to me "Thank you VERY much" for something that they appreciate, professionally, and something that I went out of my way to do for them, is it really professional to say "it was nothing"?

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Why? What exactly is the difference in the SENSE of the two ("no hay de qué" vs. "de nada")? I have never felt comfortable with "de nada" ... it seems too casual (almost flippant) for me to use in certain situations.

In fact the exactly the different is not anything.

They completely the same.

[irmamar]

Yes, there's no difference. I use "no hay de qué" because I like it , maybe it's a bit more formal, but "de nada" is equally polite. Here you can hear also: "faltaría más".

[chileno]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Yes, there's no difference. I use "no hay de qué" because I like it , maybe it's a bit more formal, but "de nada" is equally polite. Here you can hear also: "faltaría más".

Or "no faltaría más" (lo que se le ofrezca a su mercé')

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Yes, there's no difference. I use "no hay de qué" because I like it , maybe it's a bit more formal, but "de nada" is equally polite. Here you can hear also: "faltaría más".

Yes exactly the phrase faltaria mas is more polite than anything else.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Lou Ann: As I said "de nada" is the standart reply and suitable for ALL cases.

If you don't want to say that, you can always say some ornamental sentence like:

· Fue un placer.
· No tienes/tiene nada qué agradecer.

When you do a service:
· Para servirte/servirle.
· A tus/sus órdenes.

It's also a matter of how ceremonious you want to sound.

[laepelba]

I know what you said. It just still seems really casual to me.... Thanks for the alternatives. I really like them. Lots of options!

[Sancho Panther]

"de nada" ... it seems too casual (almost flippant) for me to use in certain situations.
__________________

De acuerdo, pero creo que si añades señor(a) suena mejor.

[laepelba]

Like "De nada, señor!"?