"de que" or "porque"

Question

As a mere teenager, I was told and I believed, that "no hay de que" was a correct and proper response to "muchas gracias".

Later in life, while working in Chile, several good people "corrected" me and told me I should say "no hay porque". While this sounds logically OK, I still believe in "de que".

Are both correct? Is one "more equal" than the other? Is this a regional variation?

Thanks folks.

Answer 1

Regional variations, Geof. There are several ways to say "you are welcome" in Spanish, and they do tend to be very regional. It sounds strange when people reply in a different manner.

Depending on where I am, I will use:

"De nada"

"Por nada"

"No hay de qué"

"No hay por qué"

"Faltaba más"

"A su orden"

"A la orden"

"A sus órdenes"

"A su servicio"

I'm pretty sure there are more options, but I can't remember any more right now.

"Several ways" looks like an understatement Gekko. Thanks - geofc, May 11, 2010

Answer 2

My take: they are the same, and they are both short for don't mention it. "There is no reason to mention it". (Stolen from another site: "te estoy muy agardecido" then someone can reply "no hay por qué estar agradecido" but also "no hay de qué estar agradecido". Thus, "no hay de qué" is the shorten form of "no hay de qué estar agradecido")

My mental translation, if I ever bothered, was usually "think nothing of it". - geofc, May 11, 2010

Answer 3

I think you're right.

I've heard "no hay de que" many times, but never "no hay porque."

As for regions of use, that's hard for me to say. Most of my learning has come form visiting Mexico, hanging out with a Colombian woman, and studying with a tutor from Guatemala.

Your reaction sounds like mine the first time round. After three or four I began to wonder but never followed up. - geofc, May 11, 2010