за здоровье
za zdorov'ye
The Russian phrase for "cheers when drinking" is за здоровье (za zdorov'ye).
за здоровье is an expression used as a toast when clinking glasses before drinking.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "for health". The preposition за (za) is used here to mean "for the sake of" or "in honor of".
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the preposition за (za) functions to mean "in honor of".
How do you pronounce it?
za zdorov'ye
Did you know?
- When clinking glasses, some people believe that failing to make eye contact during the toast brings bad luck.
- Russian toasts can be incredibly long, turning into short speeches or stories before the actual phrase за здоровье is spoken.
- The word здоровье comes from a Proto-Slavic root that originally referred to being 'whole' or 'unbroken', linking physical health to being structurally sound.
Examples in context
- За нас!For us!
- За здоровье!Za zdorov'ye!To your health!
- Поднимем бокалы за здоровье!Podnimem bokaly za zdorov'ye!Let's raise our glasses to your health!
Example conversation
Ekaterina and Aleksandr are having dinner at a restaurant.
- Екатерина EkaterinaАлександр, за здоровье!Aleksandr, za zdorovye!Aleksandr, cheers!
- Александр AleksandrСпасибо, Екатерина! За здоровье!Spasibo, Ekaterina! Za zdorovye!Thank you, Ekaterina! Cheers!
- Екатерина EkaterinaЗа наше здоровье!Za nashe zdorovye!To our health!
- Александр AleksandrСогласен, за наше здоровье!Soglasen, za nashe zdorovye!I agree, to our health!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries за, здоровье, CC BY-SA 4.0.
