Ways to Say Thank You in Spanish

Ways to Say Thank You in Spanish Chances are that one of the first words you learned in Spanish is gracias, the most common way to say thanks or thank you. Gracias is, of course, a useful word and should top any list of words Spanish students should learn. How To Use Gracias, a  Word for Thanks If you wish to indicate what youre giving thanks for, use the preposition por to mean for: Gracias por el regalo, which means thank you for the gift. If you want to say thank you very much, you can use muchas gracias or even muchà ­simas gracias. Also common is mil gracias, literally a thousand thanks. As you might guess, gracias is closely connected with- technically, its a cognate- the English word grace. The connection can be seen most easily if you remember that giving a prayer of thanks before a meal is sometimes known as saying grace. Gracia, the singular form of gracias, also has some of the other meanings of grace. Some examples of how gracias can be used: Gracias por ser quien eres. (Thank you for being who you are.)Gracias por tu comprensià ³n. (Thanks for your understanding.)Gracias a las lluvias de este aà ±o hemos podido disfrutar de estas cascadas. (Thanks to this years rains we have been able to enjoy these waterfalls.)Gracias, mi amigo, por todo lo que me das. (Thank you, my friend, for everything you give me.)Sobre todo, te doy las gracias por hacerme muy feliz. (Above all, I give you thanks for making me very happy.)Estas gracias son tambià ©n para todos vosotros. (These thanks are also for all of you.) ¡Un millà ³n de gracias a nuestros patrocinadores! (A million thanks to our sponsors!)Muchas gracias por su solicitud. (Thank you very much for your application.)Te ofrezco mis gracias sinceras. (I offer you my sincere thanks.) Agradecer and Related Words If youve gone beyond learning the basics of Spanish, you also can use the verb agradecer, which is used to express gratitude, appreciation or thanks. Two related words are also in common use: agradecido (grateful, appreciative or thankful) and agradecimiento (appreciation or gratitude). Note that agradecer is irregularly conjugated if youre speaking about yourself in the present tense. So agradezco is the form to use to say something such as I am grateful or I appreciate. Following the conjugation pattern of conocer, it is also irregular in some other forms youre less likely to use. Te agradezco el regalo. (I appreciate the gift.)Me siento agradecido (agradecida if youre female) por el regalo. (I feel grateful for the gift.)Estoy agradecido (agradecida if youre female) por el regalo. (I am grateful for the gift.)Quizs no estaban agradecidos por el favor que hice por ellos. (Perhaps they never appreciated the favor that you did for them.)Les agradecemos por su donacià ³n para los nià ±os. (We appreciate your donation for the children.)Me dijo que me agradecà ­a mucho por el fin de semana. (She told me that she was grateful to me for the weekend.)Los propietarios merecen muchos agradecimientos por su generosidad. (The owners deserve much appreciation for their generosity.)Es importante que cada familia cree una cultura de agradecimiento. (Is it important that each family create a culture of gratitude.)

Battle of the Saintes in the American Revolution

Battle of the Saintes in the American Revolution Battle of the Saintes - Conflict Dates: The Battle of the Saintes was fought April 9-12, 1782, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Fleets Commanders British Admiral Sir George RodneyRear Admiral Samuel Hood36 ships of the line French Comte de Grasse33 ships of the line Battle of the Saintes - Background: Having won a strategic victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781, Comte de Grasse took his French fleet south to the Caribbean where it aided in the capture of St. Eustatius, Demerary, St. Kitts, and Montserrat. As the spring of 1782 progressed, he made plans to unite with a Spanish force before sailing to capture British Jamaica. Grasse was opposed in these operations by a smaller British fleet led by Rear Admiral Samuel Hood. Aware of the danger posed by the French, the Admiralty dispatched Admiral Sir George Rodney with reinforcements in January 1782. Arriving at St. Lucia in mid-February, he was immediately concerned about the scope of British losses in the area. Uniting with Hood on the 25th, he was equally disturbed by condition and supply situation of his compatriots vessels. Shifting stores to compensate for these deficiencies, Rodney deployed his forces to intercept French reinforcements and box de Grasse into Martinique. Despite these efforts, some additional French ships reached de Grasses fleet at Fort Royal. On April 5, the French admiral sailed with 36 ships of the line and steered for Guadeloupe where he intended to board additional troops. Battle of the Saintes - Opening Moves: Pursuing with 37 ships of the line, Rodney caught up to the French on April 9, but fitful winds prevented a general engagement. Instead a minor battle was fought between Hoods van division and the rearmost French ships. In the fight, Royal Oak (74 guns), Montagu (74), and Alfred (74) were damaged, while the French Caton (64) took a heavy battering and steered away for Guadeloupe. Using a freshening wind, the French fleet drew away and both sides took April 10 to rest and repair. Early on April 11, with a strong wind blowing, Rodney signaled general chase and resumed his pursuit. Spotting the French the next day, the British bore down on a French straggler forcing de Grasse to turn to defend it. As the sun set, Rodney expressed confidence that the battle would be renewed the next day. With dawn breaking on April 12, the French were sighted a short distance away as the two fleets maneuvered between the northern end of Dominica and Les Saintes. Ordering line ahead, Rodney turned the fleet to head north-northeast. As Hoods van division had been battered three days earlier, he directed his rear division, under Rear Admiral Francis S. Drake, to take the lead. Battle of the Saintes - The Fleets Engage: Leading the British line, HMS Marlborough (74), Captain Taylor Penny, opened the battle around 8:00 AM when he approached the center of the French line. Easing north to remain parallel with the enemy, the ships of Drakes division passed the remaining length of de Grasses line as the two sides exchanged broadsides. Around 9:00 AM, Drakes rearmost ship, HMS Russell (74), cleared the end of the French fleet and hauled wind. While Drakes ships had taken some damage, they had inflicted a severe battering on the French. As the battle progressed, the strong winds of the previous day and night began to temper and became more variable. This had a dramatic effect on the next stage of the fight. Opening fire around 8:08 AM, Rodneys flagship, HMS Formidable (98), engaged the French center. Deliberately slowing, it engaged de Grasses flagship, Ville de Paris (104), in a protracted fight. As the winds lightened, a smoky haze descended on the battle impeding visibility. This, along with the wind shifting to the south, caused the French line to separate and bear to the west as it could not hold its course into the wind. The first to be affected by this shift, Glorieux (74) quickly was pounded and dismasted by British fire. In quick succession, four French ships fell afoul of each other. Sensing an opportunity, Formidable turned to starboard and brought its port guns to bear on these ships. Piercing the French line, the British flagship was followed by five of its comrades. Slicing through the French in two places, they hammered de Grasses ships. To the south, Commodore Edmund Affleck also grasped the opportunity and led the rearmost British ships through the French line inflicting significant damage. Battle of the Saintes - Pursuit: With their formation shattered and their ships damaged, the French fell away to the southwest in small groups. Collecting his ships, Rodney attempted to redeploy and make repairs before pursuing the enemy. Around midday, the wind freshened and the British pressed south. Quickly capturing Glorieux, the British caught up to the French rear around 3:00 PM. In succession, Rodneys ships captured CÃ ©sar (74), which later exploded, and then Hector (74) and Ardent (64). The final capture of the day saw the isolated Ville de Paris overwhelmed and taken along with de Grasse. Battle of the Saintes - Mona Passage: Breaking off the pursuit, Rodney remained off Guadeloupe until April 18 making repairs and consolidating his fleet. Late that day, he dispatched Hood west to attempt to head off those French ships which had escaped the battle. Spotting five French ships near the Mona Passage on April 19, Hood captured Ceres (18), Aimable (30), Caton, and Jason (64). Battle of the Saintes - Aftermath: Between the engagements of April 12 and 19, Rodneys forces captured seven French ships of the line as well as a frigate and sloop. British losses in the two fights totaled 253 killed and 830 wounded. French losses numbered around 2,000 killed and wounded and 6,300 captured. Coming on the heels of the defeats at Chesapeake and the Battle of Yorktown as well as the territorial losses in the Caribbean, the victory at the Saintes helped to restore British morale and reputation. More immediately, it eliminated the threat to Jamaica and provided a springboard for reversing the losses in the region. The Battle of the Saintes is generally remembered for the innovative breaking of the French line. Since the battle, there has been great debate as to whether Rodney ordered this maneuver or his fleet captain, Sir Charles Douglas. In the wake of the engagement, both Hood and Affleck were highly critical of Rodneys pursuit of the French on April 12. Both felt that a more vigorous and protracted effort could have led to the capture of 20 French ships of the line.