santé
/sɑ̃.te/
The English phrase 'salud' (as a toast) is translated into French as santé.
In French, santé is used as a standalone exclamation to make a toast during a drink, meaning 'to your health'.
Which one should you use?
While santé can be used alone, you may also use specific phrases depending on the situation: À votre santé translates to 'to your health', À ta santé is a way to toast that is slightly less formal than the former and À la tienne means 'to yours'.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has two syllables and is pronounced /sɑ̃.te/.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the Spanish word 'salud' instead of the French santé when making a toast.
Did you know?
- In France, it is considered impolite to toast without making eye contact with every person you are clinking glasses with.
- While 'santé' is the most common toast, you might also hear people say Tchin-tchin to mimic the sound of glasses clinking.
- The word santé shares the same Latin root as the English word 'sanity', as both stem from 'sanitas' meaning 'health'.
Examples in context
- À votre santé !To your health!
- Levons nos verres à votre santé.Let's raise our glasses to your health.
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are celebrating a promotion at a restaurant.
- EmmaFélicitations pour ton nouveau poste, Nathan !Congratulations on your new job, Nathan!
- NathanMerci Emma, c'est vraiment gentil.Thanks Emma, that's really kind.
- EmmaSanté !Cheers!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry santé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries santé, CC BY-SA 4.0.
