What it looks like
A reply. “Grazie.” — “Non c’è di che.” Two polite people and the social debt is settled. In theory. Italian simply has far too many ways to say: “I received your thanks.”
What it really is
A tasting menu of courtesy: prego, di niente, figurati, ci mancherebbe, and finally non c’è di che. We already gave figurati its own entry: a word that can mean “you’re welcome”, “don’t worry”, “come on” and “it was nothing” deserved one. Non-c’è-di-che: five little beats that already sound like a melody.
The scene
A tourist asks an Italian for directions. The man walks outside, points out the junction, criticises Google Maps, recommends another restaurant and mentions where his brother-in-law used to live. “Thank you very much!” — Ma figurati! Non c’è di che! Ci mancherebbe! Three replies to one thank-you. Why leave a courtesy formula alone when you can give it company?
Italian sings
Italian has a tendency to sound good even when it is saying almost nothing. Non c’è di che. Ci mancherebbe. Ma figurati. Di niente. Prego. Say them in sequence: less like replies, more like an opera soundcheck. Clear vowels, marked syllables, doubled consonants — and words that seem to contain the gesture with which they must be pronounced.
The key
Do not look for a mathematical equivalent of “you’re welcome”. Prego is neutral; di niente informal; non c’è di che gently minimises the favour; figurati minimises it warmly; ci mancherebbe makes the favour sound almost obligatory. Each expression adjusts the distance between two people. It just does it singing.
