# "Appreciate you" vs "appreciate it" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 9, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appreciate-you-vs-appreciate-it/1007024 "2024-09-09T18:48:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Strenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Strenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strenger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appreciate-you-vs-appreciate-it/1007024/21 "2024-09-11T04:00:31Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Question for those that don’t like it, if instead they said “I appreciate you for doing that” would that be ok? Because it seems like a shortened version of that to me. I’d be fine with that…I suppose I’m so used to it by now that I hardly notice, but I still don’t care for it. I hear “I appreciate you” and my thoughts, when I choose to think about it, that’s great, but you don’t know me, pal! Maybe not so cynical, but in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Strenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Strenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strenger)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appreciate-you-vs-appreciate-it/1007024/22 "2024-09-11T06:10:23Z")
Sorry about the 2x post, but it just occurred to me this life-changing idea: I’ll say similar things to, say, to cashiers or other public-facing employees with whom I’ve interacted dozens of times, but it’s more like, “I really appreciate you always putting in that little bit effort…it’s admirable! And thanks very much again!” See, that’s sincere. Those people, we’re not always first-name, but they know my shopping habits, and I know the dude at the grocery store at midnight has heavy-lidded reddish eyes…you know…we’re kind of part of each other’s lives in a small and predictable way. The short form is…cheap, nasty! Almost like a pick-up line at a bar or something. “You appreciate me? What about me? Let’s just stick to business, bud. I appreciate that you applied your pit-stick this morning, and that you didn’t spit in my direction or insult me! Good job!” ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appreciate-you-vs-appreciate-it/1007024/23 "2024-09-18T05:21:11Z")
Yeah, I’ve noticed it a lot over the last few years. I don’t care for it, but it’s a minor irritation, and I do think that it’s meant as a direct equivalent to appreciate _it_, or thank you. It annoys me because it seems like manufactured validation, in a participation trophy sort of way. Plus, I’ve noticed that people invariably use it when I say yes to whatever _it_ was that they asked me. No one ever appreciates _me_ for setting boundaries or saying no. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appreciate-you-vs-appreciate-it/1007024/24 "2024-09-18T18:19:15Z")
“Appreciate you” vs. “appreciate it”: You—well, not _you_ specifically, but the royal, all-encompassing _you_—could be a total pain in the behind. I mean, maybe I don’t even like you as a human being. But, hey, even a complete ass can occasionally do something (the “it”) that I can get behind. So, while I may not appreciate _you_ as a whole package, I can certainly appreciate _it_—you know, that one rare thing you managed to not screw up. See? Broader, more generous. Everyone wins… sort of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appreciate-you-vs-appreciate-it/1007024.md?page=1)