I owe you one

Meaning

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   Said to thank someone for a favor and to show you will help them in return some time.

   Grammar: Always said as a complete sentence; the pronoun you can change to him or her when talking about someone else.

   Patterns

   • I owe you one
   • I owe him one

   Thanks for covering my shift, I owe you one.

   You gave me a ride to the airport at six in the morning, so I owe you one.

   She fixed my laptop in ten minutes, and I told her I owed her one.

Common combinations

thanks, I owe you one

Thanks, I owe you one for picking up the kids.

I really owe you one

I really owe you one for helping me move.

I owe you one for that

You saved my presentation, so I owe you one for that.

call in a favor

If I ever need help, I'll call in the favor because you owe me one.

Synonyms and how they differ

I'm in your debt

I'm in your debt is more formal and suggests a bigger favor than the casual I owe you one.

much obliged

Much obliged is old-fashioned politeness, but it does not promise anything in return.

thanks a lot

Thanks a lot only expresses gratitude, while I owe you one adds a promise to repay the favor.

I'll make it up to you

I'll make it up to you is used when you caused a problem, not when someone helped you.

Word family

owe verb

to have a duty to repay or thank someone

owing adjective

still to be paid

IOU noun

a written note promising to repay a debt

Commonly confused: I owe you one or I owe you?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “I owe you one”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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