Why Knowing How to Say Cheers in French Is Essential (And What Happens If You Don't)

7 years of bad luck (or bad sex depending on who you ask).

That's what anyone who doesn't respect the subtle rules of the French toasting ritual should expect.

That's at least what the tradition says.

Truth is, French drinking traditions are totally insane.

You need to use the right words with the right people but also follow a precise set of rules that were created in the Middle Ages so people could make sure their drink didn't contain poison (such a lovely period).

Goodbye cheers, hello health!

First of all, and quite logically, French people don't say "cheers" when toasting.

Instead, they wish good health to the person they're drinking with.

That's at least how it is nowadays because wishing good health  used to mean something along the lines of "I hope you didn't poison me because if you did, I will too".

À votre santé

If you don't know how formal or informal you should be, à votre santé is the "cheers" for you.

You can safely use it with your boss, a friend or even a stranger in a bar.

Safe doesn't mean natural though and you'll sound more French if you use the more relaxed à ta santé with friends and people you know well.

Both phrases have the same meaning, the only difference is the level of politeness.

À la vôtre

After someone said "à votre santé" (to your health), you can answer à la vôtre or "à la tienne" (to yours).

Again, these phrases both have the same meaning and the difference lies in the level of politeness.

You can use "à la vôtre" with people you don't know well while à la tienne is better kept for friends, family members and people you're close to.

Santé

The French love to drop words (and letters) when they speak and it's common to hear santé (health).

Here the "à votre" or "à ta" part is implied.

Tchin Tchin

This expression originated in China where 請請 was used to say "please please" as a way of inviting people to drink.

It was then introduced in France by soldiers back from the Second Opium War and has been extremely popular ever since.

You can use tchin tchin with your friends and everyone you're on a "tu" basis with as a fun replacement of the more traditional "à ta santé" and "à votre santé".

Respect these rules when toasting. Or else...

Knowing how to say "cheers" in French is easy.

Following the precise ritual that is toasting in French, not so much.

You see, the French follow a strict set of rules when it comes to toasting, and not following them could have dramatic consequences.

Before talking about these terrifying consequences, let's look at these crazy rules:

1. Look at the person you are toasting with in the eyes. While this is not as essential as the next rule, it is considered the polite way to toast.
2. Do not add ice to your glass of wine. EVER.
3. Make sure that everyone toasted before you drink.
4. NEVER cross your glass with someone else's.
5. Do not put down your glass between the toast and the first sip.
6. Do not forget anyone in the group.

Wait, what if I do cross my glass with someone else or don't look at the person in the eyes? 

Then you are going to suffer from seven years of bad sex or seven years of bad luck, whichever version you prefer.

Once upon a time in the kingdom of France

These traditions may seem crazy, however, they did make sense when they originated.

It's said that people used to clink their glasses to exchange a part of the liquid contained in them and make sure none of the glasses contained poison.

Looking at the person you were toasting with in the eyes was a way to make sure nobody knew whether the content of the glasses got mixed.

As the world became less violent, exchanging the content of both glasses became less common, and simply clinking glasses without exchanging the glasses' content became the norm.

Nowadays, people (usually) don't fear poison in their glasses but the tradition remains and following the rules is one of the best ways to show how French you are.

As you just saw, knowing how to say "cheers" in French is essential and could already go a long way towards impressing locals. If you want to go even further, give French Together a try and learn conversational French. Because the truth is, nothing will impress locals as much as you speaking their language.