Je réponds : « Je vous en prie. »

Réponds is the je form of the verb répondre (to answer / to reply).

• je réponds = I answer / I reply
• infinitive: répondre

The final -s is part of the spelling, but it is normally not pronounced.
So je réponds sounds roughly like zhuh ray-pon.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Je réponds → zhuh ray-pon
• Je vous en prie → zhuh voo-zahn pree

A bit more accurately:

• Je réponds → /ʒə ʁepɔ̃/
• Je vous en prie → /ʒə vu zɑ̃ pʁi/

Notes:

• The s in réponds is silent.
• In vous en, the s in vous is pronounced as a z sound because it links to the following vowel sound. This is called liaison.
• The en has a nasal sound, not a fully pronounced n.

Literally, it is something like I beg you of it or I pray you for it, which sounds unnatural in modern English.

But in real French, it is a polite fixed expression meaning things like:

• You’re welcome
• Don’t mention it
• Please
• sometimes even Go ahead

So the literal word-for-word meaning is not very useful here; it is better to learn it as a set phrase.

Vous is the polite or plural form of you.

So:

• Je vous en prie = said to one person politely, or to several people
• Je t’en prie = said to one person informally

A native speaker might choose vous:

• for politeness
• with strangers
• in formal situations
• with more than one person

In this expression, en does not translate neatly by itself.

Normally, en can mean something like:

• of it
• about it
• from it
• some

But in Je vous en prie, it is part of a fixed expression. Historically it refers to that / it, but in modern usage, learners usually just memorize the whole phrase rather than analyzing en separately.

So the best approach is:

• learn Je vous en prie as one chunk
• do not expect each word to map neatly to English

Prie is the je form of prier, which can mean to pray or to beg / ask earnestly depending on context.

So:

• je prie = I pray / I beg

In Je vous en prie, it is part of an old polite formula. That is why the whole phrase sounds much more natural in French than its literal English translation does.

Yes, it is generally polite and often feels more formal than de rien.

Very roughly:

• Je vous en prie = polite, courteous, sometimes formal
• De rien = casual, everyday you’re welcome
• Pas de quoi = casual, friendly
• Avec plaisir = my pleasure

That said, Je vous en prie is still very common and natural, especially in polite situations.

Use Je vous en prie when you want to sound:

• especially polite
• respectful
• slightly more formal

Use de rien when the situation is more casual.

For example:

• A customer thanks a shop employee → Je vous en prie sounds very natural.
• A friend thanks you for passing the salt → De rien is more likely.

Both can mean you’re welcome, but the tone is different.

Yes. Depending on context, it can also mean:

• please
• go ahead
• by all means

For example:

• — Puis-je entrer ? — Je vous en prie.
  = May I come in? — Please do / Go ahead.

So this is a useful phrase to recognize as a polite formula with several related uses.

The colon introduces the exact words being spoken.

So:

• Je réponds : = I reply:
• then comes the actual reply: Je vous en prie.

In English, you could write:

• I reply, “You’re welcome.”
• or I reply: “You’re welcome.”

French often uses a colon before direct speech in this kind of sentence.

French often uses guillemets instead of English quotation marks:

• French: « ... »
• English: “...”

So « Je vous en prie. » is just the French way of writing quoted speech.

In standard French typography, there is usually a space inside the guillemets as well:

• « Je vous en prie. »

Yes. In normal conversation, you would usually just say:

• Je vous en prie.

The part Je réponds : is narrative language. It tells the reader that the speaker is replying.

So:

• in a story or dialogue description: Je réponds : « Je vous en prie. »
• in real conversation: simply Je vous en prie.

Yes. Je réponds is the present tense.

It can mean:

• I answer
• I am answering
  depending on context

French present tense often covers both the simple present and the present progressive meanings that English separates.

Yes, that is a very natural translation.

Even if the exact meaning has already been provided to the learner, it is useful to know that:

• Je réponds gives the narration: I answer / I reply
• Je vous en prie is the spoken response

So the full sentence works like:

• I reply: “You’re welcome.”