slàinte
/ˈslaːnt͡ʃə/
To say good health in Gaelic as a toast when drinking together, say slàinte.
slàinte is raised as a standalone exclamation during a toast, much like cheers in English. A fuller toast is air do shlàinte, to your good health.
What does it mean word for word?
slàinte literally means health.
How does it change in a sentence?
In air do shlàinte the word changes to shlàinte after do, meaning your. Its first sound is softened, so s becomes sh.
How do you pronounce it?
slàinte is pronounced /ˈslaːntʃə/. The first syllable has a long a, and the end sounds like ch followed by a soft uh.
When do people say it?
slàinte is the classic word heard when glasses are raised among friends.
Did you know?
- The word slàinte shares an ancient root with the English word 'whole', as both originate from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'to be healthy' or 'uninjured'.
- The word slàinte is an unexpected linguistic relative of the English word 'salubrious', both sharing a root related to health and well-being.
- If you are toasting a group rather than an individual, you would change the phrase to air bhur shlàinte, meaning 'to your (plural) good health'.
Examples in context
- air do shlàinteTo your good healthair do shlàinte means to your good health.
- Slàinte!Good health!
- Slàinte mhath!Good health to you!
Example conversation
Isla and Callum are having a drink together.
- IslaSlàinte, Callum!Cheers, Callum!
- CallumSlàinte, Isla!Cheers, Isla!
- IslaA dhreach glainne!A fine glass!
- CallumTha e math!It is good!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry slàinte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
