The usual way to say cheers in French is Santé ! (sahn-TAY), literally "health". When someone raises a glass to you, answer À la vôtre ! (to someone you call vous, or a group) or À la tienne ! (to a friend you call tu). Tchin-tchin ! is the playful version; À votre santé ! the full, polite one.
- Cheers
- Santé !
- Reply, polite or plural
- À la vôtre !
- Reply, informal
- À la tienne !
- Playful
- Tchin-tchin !
- Level
- A1
Santé, à la vôtre or tchin-tchin: which do you say?
A French toast usually comes in two halves. One person says À votre santé ! or just Santé !; the others answer À la vôtre !, "to yours", meaning to your health too. Who you are drinking with decides tu or vous, exactly as in the rest of the conversation.
| French | Literally | Use it |
|---|---|---|
| Santé ! | Health! | Anyone, anywhere; the safe default |
| À votre santé ! | To your health! | Polite, or to a group |
| À ta santé ! | To your health! | One friend, tu |
| À la vôtre ! | To yours! | The reply, vous or a group |
| À la tienne ! | To yours! | The reply to one friend, tu |
| Tchin-tchin ! | Clink-clink! | Relaxed, among friends |
| À nous ! | To us! | Friends celebrating together |
Santé works in every French-speaking country, so if you only learn one word, learn that one.
How do you make a toast in French?
Put à in front of whatever you are drinking to. With a plural it becomes aux; with a feminine word, à la. Raising your glass is lever son verre, proposing a toast is porter un toast, and clinking glasses has its own verb, trinquer.
À Julie et à son nouveau travail !
To Julie and her new job!
Aux mariés !
To the bride and groom!
À notre amitié !
To our friendship!
Je voudrais porter un toast à mes parents.
I'd like to propose a toast to my parents.
On trinque ?
Shall we clink glasses?
Not every toast in a Contos chapter is a happy one. In an intermediate story set during a Burgundy wine harvest, a friend announces he is leaving, and the mood turns:
Thomas leva son verre de manière agressive, comme pour porter un toast à la fin des choses.What are the rules for clinking glasses in France?
Wait until everyone has a drink, then clink with each person you can reach and look them in the eye as you do it. Looking away mid-clink is considered impolite, and many French people will tease you for it. Only then take the first sip.
Toasts often happen at l'apéro, the drinks and nibbles before dinner. Not drinking alcohol is no problem: you can join the toast with water or juice, and je ne bois pas d'alcool (I don't drink alcohol) is a perfectly ordinary thing to say.
Read A1 French stories set in cafés, bakeries and Paris flats, and tap any word for its meaning.
Read free in your browserWhat mistakes do English speakers make with cheers?
The big one is British: cheers as a way to say thanks does not translate as santé. If a shop assistant hands you your change, say merci (more on how to say thank you in French). Toasting words are for drinks only.
The second is spelling. In à la vôtre, vôtre has a circumflex because it is a pronoun (yours). In à votre santé, votre has none, because it sits in front of a noun (your health). They also sound slightly different: vôtre has a longer, closed o.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce santé?
"sahn-TAY", with a nasal vowel in the first syllable: the n is not fully sounded. The stress falls lightly on the last syllable, as in most French words.
Is tchin-tchin French?
Yes, though it came into French from pidgin English in Chinese ports. It imitates glasses touching and sounds light-hearted, so keep it for friends and relaxed occasions.
Do you say à la vôtre or à la tienne?
Match how you address the person. À la tienne to one friend, family member or child you call tu. À la vôtre to someone you call vous, and to any group.
What does trinquer mean?
To clink glasses before drinking. On trinque ? means shall we toast? Informally, trinquer can also mean to take the blame or suffer the consequences: c'est moi qui ai trinqué, I'm the one who paid for it.