santé
/sɑ̃.te/
In French, 'cheers for a drink' is expressed as santé.
The phrase is used to wish people good health when drinking together.
What does it mean word for word?
The word santé literally means 'health'.
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to toast depending on who you are with. Use santé for a quick, informal toast. For a more formal or polite approach when addressing a group or someone you do not know well, use À votre santé ! If you are drinking with a friend or someone you address with 'tu', you can use À ta santé ! Other formal options include À la vôtre, which means 'To yours' and Je lève mon verre à, which means 'I raise my glass to'.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /sɑ̃.te/. It has 2 syllables.
When do people say it?
When saying santé while clinking glasses, it is customary to maintain eye contact with the person you are clinking with.
Did you know?
- While santé is for drinks, it is also the standard word used when someone sneezes, functioning like the English 'bless you'.
- The informal toast Tchin-tchin is an onomatopoeia designed to mimic the actual sound of glasses clinking together.
- Failing to maintain eye contact while saying santé and clinking glasses is jokingly said to bring seven years of bad luck.
Examples in context
- Je lève mon verre à votre anniversaireI raise my glass to your birthday
- À votre santé !To your health!
- Santé à tous !Cheers to everyone!
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are at a café with their drinks.
- LucasOn trinque ensemble, Emma ?Shall we toast together, Emma?
- EmmaOui, bonne idée !Yes, good idea!
- LucasSanté !Cheers!
- EmmaSanté, Lucas !Cheers, Lucas!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry santé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
