на здоровье
na zdorov'ye
The English phrase "nostrovia" can be translated into Russian as на здоровье (na zdorov'ye).
на здоровье is used as a toast when drinking alcohol to wish others good health. It is also a very common way to say "you're welcome" when someone thanks you for providing something, such as food or a service.
How do you pronounce it?
na zdorov'ye
Did you know?
- In Russia, на здоровье is most frequently used as a response to 'thank you' after a meal. It functions more like 'enjoy your meal' or 'you are welcome' than a drinking toast.
- The word здоровье is a doublet of здра́вие, where the latter is a borrowing from Old Church Slavonic used for more spiritual or formal well-being.
- The preposition на in this phrase is a descendant of the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂en-, which also helped shape English prepositions.
Examples in context
- Поднимаю бокал на здоровье всех присутствующих.Podnimayu bokal na zdorov'ye vsekh prisutstvuyushchikh.I raise my glass to the health of everyone present.
Example conversation
Andrey and Olga are having dinner together.
- Андрей AndreyОльга, давай выпьем на здоровье!Olga, davay vyp'yem na zdorovye!Olga, let's drink to health!
- Ольга OlgaОтличная идея, Андрей!Otlichnaya ideya, Andrey!Great idea, Andrey!
- Андрей AndreyНа здоровье!Na zdorovye!Cheers!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries здоровье, на, CC BY-SA 4.0.
