santé
/sɑ̃.te/
The French phrase for "cheers when drinking" is santé.
santé is the standard way to say "cheers" when making a toast in French.
What does it mean word for word?
The word santé literally means "health".
Which one should you use?
While santé is the standard toast, you may also encounter more specific variations: À votre santé means "to your health" and is used to toast a group or someone you address formally, while À ta santé is the informal version used when toasting someone you address as tu. Another informal option is Tchin-tchin, which is used to say "cheers" among friends and peers.
How do you pronounce it?
/sɑ̃.te/
When do people say it?
When saying santé, it is customary to make eye contact with the people you are toasting.
Did you know?
- While santé refers to 'health', it is also the word used in French when someone sneezes, acting as the equivalent of 'bless you'.
- In France, failing to maintain eye contact while saying santé is sometimes jokingly associated with seven years of bad luck, particularly in romantic contexts.
- When using the informal Tchin-tchin, you are actually mimicking the sound of two glasses hitting one another.
Examples in context
- À votre santé, Monsieur Dupont. Merci pour cette soirée agréable.To your health, Mr. Dupont. Thank you for this enjoyable evening.
- Tchin-tchin ! On trinque à notre amitié !Cheers! Let's toast to our friendship!
- Santé !Cheers!
- À votre santé !To your health!
- Levons nos verres, santé !Let's raise our glasses, cheers!
Example conversation
Two friends are clinking glasses at a small cafe.
- ManonSanté, Nathan !Cheers, Nathan!
- NathanSanté, Manon !Cheers, Manon!
- ManonCe vin est excellent.This wine is excellent.
- NathanOui, c'est délicieux.Yes, it is delicious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry santé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
