When I am traveling, I find that many of the people I meet are so wonderful and open to helping out a traveler who just wants to learn a little more about their culture, country, or town. I also find that I am saying “gracias” about a hundred times a day! So in an effort to expand my daily vocabulary, which is always a good idea anyway, I sought out some new and maybe even poetic ways to give thanks for all the little, and big, things total strangers do for me when I need it the most.

I find that saying Te agradezco la ayuda/la información/etc. is a great way to communicate a deep thankfulness and appreciation for whatever the person just gave you. A couple other similar phrases are Estoy agradecido por…(or of course Estoy agradecida if you are a woman) and Siento agradecido/a por…They all mean about the same thing, being thankful and appreciative of whatever the person has given you.

Another of my favorite ways to be thankful is to relate to the person just how much they have helped me. Me ha ayudado mucho/muchísimo (You have helped me so much) or Me ayudará la información, etc. (This information will really help me.) It’s always a good idea to let the person know that not only do you appreciate what they he or she has given you but that you will be using it in the future. You just have to remember your future tense, right?

Last of all, if I find I have exhausted these other thank yous and I am really looking to impress, I might try something a little more formal. Te doy gracias por… is always a winner. It may be a little old fashioned and formal, but you know some people are really into all the pomp and circumstance.

So, there is a thank you for each and every situation, and I can promise that a well thought out thank you can take a long way when you happen to be a long way from home. So try a few of these newfangled terms of appreciation, you’ll thank me!