To sign 'grateful,' start with both hands open and flat, palms facing your chest. Move both hands forward and slightly downward in a smooth, sweeping motion. As your hands move, your palms will naturally turn to face forward and slightly upward.
Sign 'I,' then 'grateful,' followed by 'your' and 'help.' Make sure your facial expression shows sincere appreciation to match the meaning of the sentence.
Point to 'she,' sign 'grateful,' and then sign 'family.' The two-handed motion of 'grateful' emphasizes the depth of her feeling compared to a simple 'thank you.'
Sign 'we,' then use a larger, slightly slower, and more pronounced movement for 'grateful' to show that the feeling of gratitude is especially strong.
Sign 'I,' then 'grateful,' followed by 'your' and 'help.' Make sure your facial expression shows sincere appreciation to match the meaning of the sentence.
Point to 'she,' sign 'grateful,' and then sign 'family.' The two-handed motion of 'grateful' emphasizes the depth of her feeling compared to a simple 'thank you.'
Sign 'we,' then use a larger, slightly slower, and more pronounced movement for 'grateful' to show that the feeling of gratitude is especially strong.
The sign for 'thank you' typically uses just one hand moving forward from the chin. In contrast, 'grateful' (which is also used for 'thankful') uses both hands moving forward from the chest or lower face area. The addition of the second hand shows a deeper, more encompassing feeling of gratitude.
While the English concepts are very similar, 'appreciate' actually has its own distinct sign in ASL. It is best to use this specific two-handed forward-moving sign when you specifically mean 'grateful' or 'thankful.'
No, your hands do not need to physically touch your chest or chin at the beginning of the sign. Starting them just an inch or two in front of your body before moving them forward in a smooth arc is perfectly fine and looks very natural.
