Russian · At the Bar
За здоровье!
za zdorov'e
zah zdah-ROH-vye · /zə zdɐˈrovʲjə/
Cheers! / To your health!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"To health"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The dependable all-purpose toast — "to health." Note the myth-buster: Russians do NOT toast with "na zdorovye" (that's what you say when someone thanks you for food). A real table toasts to specific things — the meeting, the women, the absent friends. But "za zdorovye" is always safe.
Heard in the wild
За здоровье! Чтобы все были здоровы!
Cheers! May everyone be healthy!
Where it lands
Russia (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "За здоровье!" mean?
- In Russian, "За здоровье!" means "Cheers! / To your health!". Literally it's "To health". The dependable all-purpose toast — "to health." Note the myth-buster: Russians do NOT toast with "na zdorovye" (that's what you say when someone thanks you for food). A real table toasts to specific things — the meeting, the women, the absent friends. But "za zdorovye" is always safe.
- Is "За здоровье!" 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 "За здоровье!"?
- Say it "zah zdah-ROH-vye" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: zə zdɐˈrovʲjə.
Related in Russian
Наливай! nalivay nah-lee-VYE Fill 'em up! / Pour the drinks! На посошок! na pososhok nah pah-sah-SHOK One for the road! Бухать bukhat' boo-KHAHT To drink (heavily) / to get wasted В стельку v stel'ku f STYEL-koo Blind drunk / hammered / plastered Давай-давай! davai-davai dah-VYE dah-VYE Come on! Let's go! Push! Щелчок по горлу shchelchok po gorlu gesture Let's drink / he's drunk / booze
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