In Arabic, when someone tells you "You look good today," or "Thank you for the flowers, they are beautiful," the polite answer is:
It is not the flowers. Your eyes are so beautiful everything appears beautiful through them.
What would be the best way to convey the same sentiment in English ?
How about:
1- Its your beautiful eyes that grant those flowers their beauty.
2- These flowers cannot compete with the beauty of your eyes.
In terms of politeness, so far as I know, the best response to a compliment in English is a simple and sincere "thank you". All the etiquette guides agree:
Say “Thank you,” in a friendly, calm and appreciative tone. Don’t get too excited and make an exasperated exclamation of thanks, as this can be off-putting. You want to convey that you are OK with, and accepting of, the compliment, and that you appreciate it and weren't desperate to hear it.
Add something to the compliment that pertains to it. For example, if someone compliments your jewelry, you can say, “Thanks, I got it at this great store, I love it.” If someone compliments something you did, you could say, “Thanks, I worked really hard.” This is just something to show that you agree with the compliment or that you at least appreciate what the person said.
(From eHow, "How to Answer Compliments", Amy Davidson.)
Another,
Responding to compliments:
For example, "That's a beautiful dress!" Respond. "Thank you very much!", "I'm so glad you like it."Don't belittle and say, "Oh this is an inexpensive dress", "Oh an old dress", "Or really? I don't think it really fits me".
(From Elegant Woman, "Emily Post Etiquette on the Art of Conversation".)
This reminded me of a scene in Sleeping Beauty (1995), where the queen tells her she looks "exquisite", where she replies "if I do, it's because your own beauty makes everything around you seem beautiful as well".
