Cheers in Spanish is ¡salud! (sah-LOOD; in Spain the final d is barely heard), literally "health". Say it as glasses touch, at a bar or round a family table. To raise a toast to someone, use brindar por: brindo por Ana, here's to Ana, or ¡por nosotros!, to us. Spaniards usually look each person in the eye as they clink.
- Cheers
- ¡salud!
- To us!
- ¡por nosotros!
- I propose a toast to…
- brindo por…
- A toast
- un brindis
- Level
- A1
What do Spaniards say when they clink glasses?
¡Salud! is the safe choice everywhere and with anyone, from a boss to a grandmother. The playful ¡chin chin! imitates the sound of the glasses. For a fuller toast, name what you drink to with por.
| Spanish | English | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Salud! | Cheers! | Universal; any company |
| ¡Chin chin! | Cheers! (clink clink) | Light-hearted; common in Spain |
| ¡Por nosotros! | To us! | Friends, couples |
| ¡Por los novios! | To the bride and groom! | Weddings |
| ¡Por Marta! | To Marta! | Birthdays, leaving dos, good news |
| ¡Salud, dinero y amor! | Health, wealth and love! | A classic three-part toast |
| Brindo por eso | I'll drink to that | Agreeing with a wish |
How do you make a toast in Spanish?
The verb is brindar and the noun un brindis. Whatever you raise your glass to comes after por, exactly as with thanks. At a wedding or a big birthday someone will tap a glass and stand up; a few short lines are better than a speech.
Quiero proponer un brindis.
I'd like to propose a toast.
Brindemos por los amigos que no están.
Let's drink to the friends who aren't here.
Levantad las copas, por favor.
Raise your glasses, please.
Spain, vosotros; levanten las copas in Latin America.
¡Por muchos años más!
To many more years!
Birthdays and anniversaries.
Note that brindar has a second meaning: to offer. Brindar una oportunidad is to offer an opportunity, so you will see it in news articles that have nothing to do with drinks.
What do you say in a Spanish bar?
In Spain, going for a drink is tomar algo, literally "to have something", and it rarely means drinks alone: food comes with it. On weekend lunchtimes many people go out for el vermut, a glass of vermouth before the meal.
¿Tomamos algo?
Shall we get a drink?
¿Qué tomas?
What are you having?
Una caña y un tinto de verano, por favor.
A small draught beer and a red wine with lemonade, please.
Spain.
¿Otra ronda?
Another round?
When it is time to settle up, see how to ask for the bill in Spanish.
What mistakes do learners make with cheers?
British English uses cheers for thanks and for goodbye as well as for drinks. Spanish salud covers only the toast, so a cheers to the bus driver is gracias, and a cheers on leaving is hasta luego. Another slip is saying ¡saludos!, which means greetings or regards and belongs at the end of an email, not over a glass.
Salud is also what people say when someone sneezes, like bless you. In Spain you will hear ¡Jesús! for a sneeze too.
Read A1 Spanish stories set in bars, markets and family kitchens, and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Does salud mean bless you?
Yes. Salud means health, so it works both for a toast and after a sneeze. In Spain, ¡Jesús! is also common when someone sneezes.
What does chin chin mean in Spanish?
It imitates the sound of glasses touching. It is a light, friendly alternative to ¡salud! and is especially common in Spain.
How do you say cheers to that in Spanish?
Brindo por eso, I'll drink to that. Between friends, a quick ¡por eso! with raised glasses does the same job.
How do you say cheers to your health?
¡Salud! already means exactly that. For a longer version, people say ¡a tu salud! (to your health), or ¡a vuestra salud! to a group in Spain.
What does tomar algo mean?
Literally "to have something": going for a drink, usually with a bite to eat. ¿Tomamos algo? is a very common invitation in Spain.