Deo gratias, Amen, Alleluia

Deo Gratias, Amen and Alleluia

Level 1

Three short words of the Mass, learned whole.

How It Works

LatinEnglishWhere you hear it
Deo gratias.Thanks be to God.after a reading and after the dismissal
Amen.So be it.at the end of a prayer
Alleluia.Praise the Lord.before the Gospel and at Easter

Gratias is the plural of the noun gratia, because Latin says thanks in the plural. The verb is left out: Deo gratias is short for something like we give thanks to God.

Gratia sounds like GRAH-tee-ah in classical Latin and GRAHT-see-ah in Church Latin, so gratias is GRAHT-see-ahs in a church. Alleluia sounds like ahl-leh-LOO-yah in both.

The same word gratias thanks a friend: Gratias, Iulia.

Examples (5)

  1. Deo gratias.

    Thanks be to God.

    Deo is the dative of Deus: to God. Gratias is plural, and the verb is left out.

  2. Amen.

    So be it.

    A Hebrew word. Latin says it the same way.

  3. Alleluia.

    Praise the Lord.

    A Hebrew call of praise, kept whole.

  4. Deo gratias, alleluia.

    Thanks be to God, alleluia.

    The reply in the Easter season, with alleluia added.

  5. Gratias, Iulia.

    Thanks, Iulia.

    Gratias can thank a person too.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the nominative Deus for the one who is thanked.

    Gratias Deus.
    Deo gratias.

    Deus is the nominative and names the one who acts. The one who is thanked is in the dative, so the phrase needs Deo.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Deo gratias, Amen, AlleluiaLevel 1Deo Gratias, Amen and Alleluia

Learn This First

Deo gratias is thanks, so the polite words come first.

Words in This Pattern

DeusamenamenalleluiaDeo gratias