German · At the Bar
Prost!
PROHST · /pʁoːst/
Cheers!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"(May it) be beneficial (from Latin prosit)"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Non-negotiable table etiquette, and the one rule that actually matters: LOOK EACH PERSON IN THE EYE as you clink, or German superstition promises you seven years of bad sex. Everyone believes it just enough to obey. Formal full version: "Zum Wohl!" (to your wellbeing), preferred with wine and with Sie.
Heard in the wild
Prost! Auf uns!
Cheers! To us!
Where it lands
Germany, Austria, Switzerland — universal
Quick answers
- What does "Prost!" mean?
- In German, "Prost!" means "Cheers!". Literally it's "(May it) be beneficial (from Latin prosit)". Non-negotiable table etiquette, and the one rule that actually matters: LOOK EACH PERSON IN THE EYE as you clink, or German superstition promises you seven years of bad sex. Everyone believes it just enough to obey. Formal full version: "Zum Wohl!" (to your wellbeing), preferred with wine and with Sie.
- Is "Prost!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Prost!"?
- Say it "PROHST" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: pʁoːst.
Related in German
Auf ex! OWF EX Down it in one! / Bottoms up! besoffen buh-ZOFF-en Sloshed / plastered / hammered voll wie eine Haubitze FOLL vee INE-uh how-BIT-suh Drunk as a lord / completely wasted blau sein BLOW zine To be drunk / sloshed einen Kater haben INE-en KAH-ter HAH-ben To have a hangover Geil! GYLE Awesome! / Sick! / Hell yes!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- French Cul sec ! Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Korean 짠! Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Portuguese Cachaça Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
- Russian На посошок! One for the road!
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.