Je réponds : « De rien. »

Because répondre is an irregular verb.

In the present tense, répondre is conjugated like this:

• je réponds
• tu réponds
• il / elle / on répond
• nous répondons
• vous répondez
• ils / elles répondent

So the -s in je réponds is just the normal first-person singular form for this verb.

A useful thing to notice: with many French verbs, je forms do not end in -s (for example, je parle), but with many irregular verbs they do (for example, je prends, je mets, je réponds).

It is pronounced approximately like:

zhuh ray-pon

A few important points:

• je sounds like zhuh
• ré- sounds like ray
• the -ponds part has a nasal vowel, so it is not pronounced like English pond
• the final -ds in réponds is silent

So even though réponds is spelled with -ds, you do not pronounce those final consonants here.

No. In je réponds, the final -s is silent.

In fact, the whole final -ds is silent in normal pronunciation. So:

• je réponds
• tu réponds
• il répond

all sound very similar at the end.

This is very common in French: spelling often shows grammatical information that you do not hear clearly in speech.

The colon introduces the exact words being spoken.

So Je réponds : « De rien. » means something like:

• I reply: De rien.

In French writing, using a colon before direct speech is very common, especially in narration or dialogue.

These are French quotation marks, often called guillemets.

French usually writes quotations like this:

• « De rien. »

whereas English usually uses:

• “De rien.”

So the sentence is following standard French punctuation style.

You may also notice that French often includes spaces around some punctuation marks, including guillemets, depending on typography rules.

Literally, de rien means something like of nothing.

But you should think of it as a fixed expression, not word by word. It is used the way English speakers use:

• you’re welcome
• it’s nothing
• no problem

So even if the literal meaning seems strange, learners should usually remember de rien as one complete expression.

De rien is very common and natural in everyday conversation. It is usually fine in informal and neutral situations.

However, in more formal situations, French speakers may prefer expressions such as:

• Je vous en prie
• Il n’y a pas de quoi

So de rien is not rude, but it is a bit more casual than some alternatives.

Because de rien is an idiomatic set phrase.

Languages often use short fixed expressions in social situations. English does this too:

• No problem.
• Sure.
• You bet.

They are not always full logical sentences, but they work naturally in conversation.

So in French, de rien functions as a complete response even though it is very short.

Yes, répondre often takes à:

• répondre à quelqu’un = to answer someone
• répondre à une question = to answer a question

Examples:

• Je réponds à Marie.
• Il répond à la question.

But in Je réponds : « De rien. », the sentence is introducing the actual reply directly, so there is no need to say à + object.

It is like saying in English:

• I reply: ...

rather than:

• I reply to him.

Yes, you could say je dis : « De rien. », and it would mean I say: De rien.

But je réponds is more precise here, because de rien is a response to something someone said, such as merci.

So:

• je dis = I say
• je réponds = I reply / I answer

If the context is that someone thanked you and you answered, je réponds is the better choice.

The accent in réponds is the acute accent on é.

It helps show the pronunciation of that vowel. Without it, the word would not be spelled correctly.

This accent is part of the verb’s normal spelling:

• répondre
• je réponds
• tu réponds
• il répond

So it is not something added just for this sentence; it belongs to the word itself.