Будьте здорові
Budte zdorovi
The English phrase "God bless you" can be expressed in Ukrainian as Будьте здорові (Budte zdorovi).
While English speakers say "God bless you" after someone sneezes, the Ukrainian equivalent is a wish for the person's health. It is common to say this to someone who has just sneezed.
Meaning: said to somebody who has sneezed (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Будьте здорові literally translates to "Be healthy".
Which one should you use?
Будьте здорові is the polite or plural form used when addressing a stranger, an elder or a group of people. If you are speaking to one person you know well or a child, you use the informal forms Будь здоровий (masculine) or Будь здорова (feminine) instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a single person informally, the phrase changes based on gender: use Будь здоровий for a male and Будь здорова for a female.
How do you pronounce it?
Budte zdorovi
When do people say it?
In Ukrainian culture, the standard response to a sneeze is to wish the person health rather than offering a religious blessing, which is a departure from the English "God bless you".
Did you know?
- There is a playful Ukrainian superstition that sneezing is a sign that someone is talking about you. In this context, the wish for health acts as a protective social ritual.
- The root of the word здорові comes from a Proto-Indo-European base meaning 'whole' or 'uninjured'.
- In Ukraine, if someone sneezes multiple times, it is common for the responses to continue for every single sneeze. The phrase Будьте здорові may be repeated several times in a row.
Examples in context
- Дякую за вашу цінну роботу. Хай Бог благословить вас.Thank you for your valuable work. God bless you.
- Будьте здорові!Bud'te zdorovi!God bless you!
- Вона чхнула, тож я сказав: Будьте здорові.Vona chkhnula, toz ya skazav: Bud'te zdorovi.She sneezed, so I said: God bless you.
Example conversation
Olena sneezes while talking to Dmytro.
- Олена OlenaАпчхи!Apchkhi!Atchoo!
- Дмитро DmytroБудьте здорові, Олено!Bud'te zdorovi, Oleno!Bless you, Olena!
- Олена OlenaДякую, Дмитре.Dyakuyu, Dmytre.Thank you, Dmytro.
- Дмитро DmytroНема за що.Nema za shcho.You're welcome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries здорові, CC BY-SA 4.0.
