Prost! (prohst) is the German for cheers: short, friendly and right for beer, a bar or a family meal. Zum Wohl! (tsoom VOHL), "to your health", is a little more refined and common with wine or at a formal dinner. Whichever you say, clink glasses with each person and look them in the eye while you do it.
- Everyday
- Prost!
- Wine, formal
- Zum Wohl!
- To toast
- anstoßen
- To you!
- Auf dich! / Auf Sie!
- Level
- A1
Prost or zum Wohl: what is the difference?
Prost comes from Latin prosit, "may it do you good". It is the default, and nobody will think it rude at a wedding or a work dinner. Zum Wohl carries a bit more ceremony, so you hear it over a glass of Riesling, from older people and from waiters setting down drinks.
| German | Register | Where you hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Prost! | Neutral | Beer, bars, parties, family meals |
| Zum Wohl! | Polite | Wine, formal dinners, older company |
| Prosit! | Old-fashioned | Speeches, and in Prosit Neujahr (happy New Year) |
| Auf dich! / Auf euch! | Informal | Toasting one friend, or a group of friends |
| Auf Sie! / Auf Ihr Wohl! | Formal | Toasting a host, a boss or a guest of honour |
| Auf uns! | Warm | Friends or a couple: to us |
| Prösterchen! | Playful | Jokey, among people who know each other well |
The little word zum turns up all over German drinking culture: traditional inns are named Zum Löwen, Zum Hirschen and the like.
Why do Germans insist on eye contact when they toast?
Looking away while glasses touch is treated as a small insult, and there is a running joke that it brings seven years of bad luck in bed. In practice: raise your glass, find each person's eyes, clink, then drink. At a big table you don't need to reach everyone; nod and lift your glass to the far end.
- Don't toast with water. Many Germans consider it bad luck; join in with juice or a soft drink instead.
- Don't cross arms with another pair clinking at the same time.
- Wait for the toast. At dinner, nobody drinks until everyone has a glass and someone has said Prost or zum Wohl.
The verb for clinking is anstoßen, and it splits in two in a normal sentence: Wir stoßen an. That is why the question sounds like this:
Lass uns anstoßen!
Let's have a toast!
du form, to one friend; to a group of friends, Lasst uns anstoßen!
Wollen wir anstoßen?
Shall we raise a glass?
Works with du or Sie.
Auf Ihr Wohl, Frau Becker!
To your health, Mrs Becker!
Formal, to a host or guest of honour.
Darauf stoßen wir an!
Let's drink to that!
What are you celebrating? Words around a toast
A toast usually names its reason with auf: auf das Brautpaar (to the bride and groom), auf den Erfolg (to success), auf die Gastgeberin (to our host).
Feiern means to celebrate or to party; die Feier is the party itself. For birthdays there is a whole set of phrases on how to say happy birthday in German.
Read Engaged by Mistake at A1 and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Prost?
With a long o, like "prohst", and a soft German r at the back of the throat. It rhymes roughly with English "most". In Bavaria and Austria you will also hear a broader, drawn-out version.
What do people say at Oktoberfest?
Prost, loudly and often. The tent bands regularly play a short drinking song called Ein Prosit der Gemütlichkeit, and everyone stands, sings along and clinks glasses when it ends.
Is it rude not to drink alcohol at a German toast?
No. Raise whatever you have, except water if you want to avoid raised eyebrows. Saying Ich trinke keinen Alkohol (I don't drink alcohol) is perfectly normal.
What does Prost Mahlzeit mean?
Literally "cheers, enjoy your meal", but people say it ironically: Na dann, prost Mahlzeit! means something like "well, that's just great" when a plan has gone wrong.
Do you say Prost with du and Sie?
Yes. Prost and zum Wohl have no du or Sie form. The difference only appears when you add a person: Auf dich! for a friend, Auf Sie! or Auf Ihr Wohl! for someone you address formally.