How to Say "Cheers" in Russian

The Russian "cheers" is за здоровье! (za zdoróvye, "to health") or, just as common, будем здоровы! ("let's be healthy"). One warning: it is not «на здоровье», which means "you're welcome".

In Russian

за здоровье

za zdoróvye - cheers / to your health

Variants & registers

будем здоровы!búdem zdoróvy
cheers - literally "let's be healthy"
neutral
за тебя!za tebyá
to you! - a personal toast
informal
за нас!za nas
to us!
informal
за встречу!za vstréchu
to our meeting / reunion!
neutral

Breakdown & pronunciation

Word by word

заza
to / for (a toast: "to ...")
здоровьеzdoróvye
health

Pronunciation

Say za zda-ROV-ye. The о in за is unstressed (za), and здоровье is stressed in the middle: zda-ROV-ye. Keep the final -вье soft and quick.

Example sentences

За здоровье!
Za zdoróvye!
Cheers! (to health)
Давайте выпьем за дружбу!
Daváyte výpyem za drúzhbu!
Let's drink to friendship!
Будем здоровы!
Búdem zdoróvy!
Cheers! (let's be healthy)
За тебя!
Za tebyá!
To you!

Usage & etiquette

A Russian toast is built with за + the accusative case: за здоровье ("to health"), за тебя ("to you"), за любовь ("to love"). You can toast to almost anything this way.

Do not confuse за здоровье with на здоровье. на здоровье is what you say like "you're welcome" or "enjoy your meal" - never a drinking toast. The toast always uses за.

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FAQ

How do you say "cheers" in Russian?

Say за здоровье! (za zdoróvye, "to health") or будем здоровы! ("let's be healthy"). For a personal toast, за тебя! ("to you!").

Is "cheers" in Russian на здоровье?

No - that is a common mistake. на здоровье means "you're welcome" or "enjoy". The toast is за здоровье, with за ("to").

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