18 Surprising Ways to Say Cheers in French

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Are you looking for how to say cheers in French? Well, you’re in the right place! Just like knowing how to say hello in different languages, knowing how to cheers in France is very important as it is a big part of the culture. Knowing how to say cheers in different languages is a travel tip that will allow you to connect with locals which often provides a better travel experience!

As you know, I (Marie) am French and have grown up, lived and travelled in France for over 20 years before moving to Ireland. So I can tell you all about the French ways to cheers!

If you want to learn French before heading on a trip to France, this post will help you grasp all the subtleties of the do’s and don’ts of the French cheers etiquette. 

In this post, you will learn:

• how to cheers in French language, 
• the French pronunciation and,
• how to toast in French

To learn more basic French you need to travel, check out our post on how to say good morning in French, how to say nice to meet you in French and our post on how to say no in French.

15 ways to translate cheers in French while in France

In this section, we’ll share what is cheers in French and all of the different cheers French translation versions and what context to use them in. Take this section as your very own private lessons of French from a French!

Formal cheers in French translation

There are several versions of cheers French people use depending on the situation such as where we are, who we are cheering or toasting with and what the occasion is. There are different levels of politeness as well so some of these translations cannot be switched. As the following examples are more formal, we would usually raise our glasses while saying them.

In this section, we go over the formal French cheers translations.

1. À la vôtre, the most used way to say cheers in French

“À la vôtre” is one of the most used ways to say cheers in French. It is the shortened version of “À votre santé” which literally means “to your health”. In this expression, the word “la” replaces the word “santé” and the expression means “to yours”. “To yours” obviously doesn’t make much sense in English but in France, everyone knows that “santé” is implied. 

Because it is using “vôtre”, as opposed to “tienne” (see below), it is a moral formal expression that can be used in almost any situations. You can use “à la vôtre” with friends, family, a boss, or even a stranger you’ve just met at an event. 

Because “vôtre” also expresses a plural, you can use “à la vôtre” with a group of people by raising your glass. In this case, it can be either in a formal or informal context. 

How to use it: 

Raise your glass and say a few words. Once you are finished talking, say “à la vôtre”. Afterwards, you can either drink right away or clink your glasses. Depending on the event, some people will just say “à la vôtre” and drink.

2. À votre santé

“À votre santé” is another expression you can use to say cheers in France regardless of the situation that you are in. Because it is more formal, it can also be said to almost anyone including people that are at a higher level at your company for example. 

“À votre santé” means “to your health” since santé in French is “health”. As it uses “votre” instead of “ta”, it is using the “you formal”. 

It is a very common expression as it is safe to use around strangers. You can also use it to cheer with a group of people, whether formally or informally as it uses “votre” which can also be understood as a sign of plural.

How to use it: 

The same way as “À la vôtre”.

3. “Allez, on trinque”

“Allez, on trinque” means “Come on, let’s cheer” and is a pretty common way to get people to raise their glasses and clink their glasses. Other ways to use “trinque” include “trinquons” which mean “let’s cheer” and “on trinque” which is just a shortened version. All these translation of cheers can be used in both a formal and informal context. 

How to use it:

“Allez, on trinque” is used to get people attention so it usually opens the cheering moment. Sometimes, someone will reply “on trinque à quoi”, meaning “what are we cheering for”. It can be a person, an event or a special occasion. People will then starts saying “à (fill in the blank)” meaning “to this” or “to that”. Once everyone is happy with how many things we are cheering to, we will clink our glasses and then take a sip. 

4. Adding “à”, another way to say cheers in French

Another way to say cheers in French is to use what you’re cheering to and add “à”, the equivalent of “to”, beforehand. This is a way to celebrate something specific like newlyweds or a new home. For example, in English, you would say “to your graduation”, it is the same in French. In some cases, where the word are plural, we use “aux” instead of “à” but the meaning is the same.

This way of translating cheers to French can also be used in an informal context. The easiest way to remember whether it is formal or informal is to recognise whether the saying using “votre” or “ta/ton”. If it is “votre”, you’ll know this is the “you” formal. 

Here are some common sayings we use:

• à votre nouvelle maison / à ta nouvelle maison = to your new home
• à ton diplôme = to your graduation
• à vos amours/ à tes amours = to your love
• aux jeunes mariés = to the newlyweds (“jeunes” means young but here it is used to mark that you are newly married, regardless of your age).
• à Penelope! = to Penelope ; using the name of the person is often used if the person has accomplished something such as graduating, or if it is a baby that was just born or also if the person has died (more on this later)
• à nos retrouvailles = to being together again (when you haven’t seen people for a while)

In addition, if there isn’t a special occasion, people will cheers to something more general such as life, love or the holidays, see as follows:

• aux vacances! = to the holidays
• à l’amour! = to love
• à la vie! = to life

How to use it:

Similarly to “aller, on trinque”.

5. On trinque à votre santé!

One last way to say cheers in French is merging the above translations together with “on trinque à votre santé” which means “we cheers to your health!”

This is another formal way to cheers in France and you can use pretty much everywhere! 

How to use it:

Similarly to “aller, on trinque”.

How do you say cheers in French informal

There are several ways to informally say cheers in French. 

6. Tchin tchin, the most common informal way to say cheers in French

The cheers in French chin chin version is actually spelt Tchin Tchin. Though it originally comes from Chinese, Tchin Tchin is known in France as being the sound that glasses make when clinking. Tchin Tchin is an expression that France is famous for in the world.

This has got to be the most used way of saying cheers in French with friends and family. It is quick and fun and kids especially love to say it. 

How to use it:

You should use “Tchin tchin” when clinking your glass with someone else.

7. Tchin, another French word for cheers

Tchin is used in the same way as Tchin tchin and is just a shortened version of it. We will usually use it in a more relaxed context where there isn’t much to celebrate but we are just appreciating being together or having a drink. For example, we will say tchin while having a drink at a bar, or enjoying a drink at home.

How to use it:

You should use “Tchin” when clinking your glass with someone else.

8. À ta santé, another way to say cheers in French

The À ta santé cheers in French means “to your health” just like “à votre santé”. Because it is using “ta”, it is the informal singular version of it and can only be used to cheers with one person. 

You can use is with a friend, a lover, or a member of your family. Sometimes people will use it with a friend they have just met as well. “À ta santé” is quite generic and can be used in a range of situations from weddings to having a drink with a colleague. 

How to use it:

We usually say “À ta santé” at the same time as clinking the glasses. 

9. À la tienne

“À la tienne” is the same as “à la votre” but again, as it is using “tienne”, it is informal. the word “la” replaces the world sante in French, which is therefore implied. Literally,  “à la tienne” means “to yours”.

How to use it:

It is used in a similar way as “tchin tchin” or “à ta santé”.

10. On trinque à ta santé

Similarly to “On trinque à votre santé!”, “On trinque à ta santé” means “we are cheering to your health” in an informal way. It is a mix of “let’s cheers” and “to your health!”.

11. Santé!

Santé in French means “health” and this word is a common way to say cheers in French. It wouldn’t be used too much in a professional or more formal setting, but it can definitely be used with friends and family. 

Santé! is a shortened version of expressions like “à ta santé” and is convenient and quick to use. 

How to use it:

Santé! can be used in a range of situations. That said, one convenient way to use it is when you are at a gathering with lots of people and it is impossible to get everyone to cheers at the same time. In that context, some people will just say Santé! and drink, not caring much if people are following. Others will shout Santé! and people will respond all together before taking a sip and going back to their conversation. 

12. Cheers in French slang

The French slang for cheers is “cul sec” which literally means “dry ass”. The accurate translation in English would be “bottoms up” which is actually against the French cheers etiquette (more on this later). In any cases, this is often used by young people in bars when drinking shots! 

How to use it:

Pick up your glass and clink it with your friend then drink up!

Other ways to translate cheers to French

13. Cheers my love

Cheers my love in French translates to “Tchin mon amour” or “à la tienne mon amour”.

14. Cheers my friend

Cheers my friend in French translates to “Tchin mon ami” or “à la tienne mon ami”.

15. Cheers mate

Cheers mate in French translates to “Tchin l’ami” or “à la tienne l‘ami”.

How to say cheers in French creole (16)

Creole is a language spoken in a number of French Islands such as Martinique or Guadeloupe in the Caribbean. The language has its own words but they somewhat resemble French. For example, Bonjour in Creole is Bonjou. 

The Creole way of saying cheers is the same as the French for cheers. Creole people will use “tchin tchin” or “on trinque”.

How to say cheers in French Canadian (17)

French Canadian is spoken in Quebec, the French-speaking province of Canada. Though there are a lot of different expressions in French Canadians that we don’t have in French, French Canadians actually say cheers the same way! So “Tchin tchin” and “à ta santé” are it!

How to say cheers in French Corsican (18)

Corsican is spoken on the island of Corsica located in the South of France in the Mediterranean. Corsica is mostly known for its beautiful Corsican beaches with turquoise waters and thin golden sand. Since part of my family is Corsican, I partly grew up around Corsican and have picked up a couple of words along the way. Corsican resembles Italian more than it resembles French and that’s why the Corsican way to say cheers in France is “Salute!”

Saying cheers in French: Formal French drinking toast etiquette

Learning French, whether to actually speak it or to be able to get around while traveling to France, cannot be complete without learning about the toast etiquette.

Cheers in French toast Vocabulary

• How do you say toast in French: The noun for toast in French is simply “toast” and is pronounced the same way.
• French word for toast as a verb: The french for “to toast” (which is a verb) is “porter un toast”
• French toasts cheers: When we toast in France, we use a range of sayings to say cheers  such as Santé!, A la votre! (usually addressing a group then), “Félicitations”, or “levons nos verres” which means “let’s raise our glasses”.
• French word for drink: une boisson/ un verre
• French verb to drink: boire/boire un verre
• Have a drink in French: bois un coup!/bois un verre!

Where and when you should do French drinking toasts

Drinking toasts in French start with expressions like “Portons un verre”, “je voudrais porter un verre” or “levons nos verres”. 

You will most often hear these expressions at special occasions such as family gatherings and weddings.

French toasting Etiquette for Weddings

Weddings are particularly prone to toasting so here is an example of how it goes in case you find yourself at a French wedding in the near future. 

Toasting the newlyweds in French is “porter un toast aux jeunes mariés”. The rule is that the bestman, the maid of honour and sometimes family will toast the newlyweds during the reception. One of them will stand up and say “Je voudrais porter un toast aux jeunes mariés”

Guests will usually stand up as well except if they physically can’t. Then the person toasting will give a speech. It can be emotional or funny depending on their personality. Once the speech finished, the person will say “levons nos verres, aux mariés!” meaning “let’s raise our glasses, to the newlyweds”. Guests will answer by raising their glasses and say “félicitations” (congratulations).Before drinking, some will clink their glasses. 

How to cheers in French: Do’s

As a French person, I can tell you that French drinking traditions have very defined rules. If you don’t respect them, the tradition says that you will be hit by seven years of bad luck. To avoid you a life of misery, I’ve gathered all the French culture drinking rules when saying cheers in France! 

• Wait for the host: We always wait for the host to start saying cheers, out of respect for them. A French host is usually running around, making sure the food is ready and that everyone has something to drink. They are usually difficult to stop for a minute especially if there are many guests. But nothing should stop you from waiting for the host before saying cheers. There is nothing worse than hosting a party and being left out for the toast. In addition, we will usually add at least a small toast for the host to thank them for hosting. If you don’t wait for the host, this can be incredibly rude and grudges can be held. Note that this doesn’t apply to college parties, where everyone just do their own thing.
• Look each other in the eyes: At the moment that you are clinking glasses, you NEED to look at the other person in the eyes. You shouldn’t be looking AT their eyes but IN the eyes. This is a very strict tradition and not doing it is known to be bad luck. I, personally, will move my glass back if I notice the person isn’t looking at me in the eyes. I won’t be taking that risk!
• Wait for everyone to toast before drinking: you might have already clinked your glass but that doesn’t mean you can have your first sip! You have to wait until everyone has clinked their glasses first.
• Take a sip: After everyone has clinked the glasses, you are only supposed to take a sip of your drink. Don’t go and drink it all at once! 
• Gentle tap: Though in the original tradition, the clinking of the glasses was pretty aggressive (see below), in modern times, it’s expected that you will be clinking glasses gently. Aim for a gentle touch rather than a full on bang. 
• Wait for the foam to disappear: If you are drinking Champagne, Crémant or beer, there can be foam at the top of the glass (especially if it is badly poured, yes, we are quite judge on that). In that case, you will have to wait for the foam to disappear before saying cheers and clinking your glass. 
• Raise you glass: In some instances, including when there are a lot of people involved, we will raise our glasses instead of clinking them. There is really no way to know how it’s going to go so your best bet is to look at what people around you are doing. Sometimes we will raise our glasses and then decide to still clink. I know, we are complicated!
• Clink glasses with each person: Whether you know them or not and unless there are 30 people, the rule is to clink glasses with each person.

How to cheers in French: Don’ts

• Empty glass: Clinking an empty glass is like wearing sandals with socks, totally unacceptable. Saying cheers with an empty glass is extremely bad luck and I, as a French, would not do it even if I was paid.
• Don’t put your glass down during the process: While everyone is clinking glasses, do not put your glass down until they are done.
• Water or non alcoholic drinks: The tradition is that we never toast with water or non-alcoholic drinks. That said, you can definitely bend this rule (I have), especially if you are a parent.
• Crossing: Crossing arms while clinking glasses is like clinking glasses without looking at each other in the eyes, totally unacceptable. Do not cross with someone else when cheering. If you have to, wait, or stand up and clink a different way. Remember, anything but crossing!
• No ice in red wine or Champagne: I feel silly for saying this as it is definitely natural for French people but it would be seen as such a big mistake to add ice to drinks like red wine or Champagne.
• Drink before cheering: Never take a sip before actually saying cheers. If you have already drank, you loose your turn to clink and will just have to wait for others now. It feels a bit like being banned so just don’t do it.
• Drink the whole glass: Never drink the whole glass after clinking glasses. 

When do French people cheers?

In this section, we go over the different moments when French people cheers:

Apéro culture

In France, we have what we call “Apéro” or “Apéritif”. Apéro can be more or less formal depending on the event. This is a moment before the Entrée or the main dish that we take to have a drink and a few small things to eat. Apéro is usually taken on the small living room table if you are having guests or at the normal table if there is no special event. 

For apéro, we will usually have a choice of drinks, including Champagne if it’s a big occasion, and a few things to eat such small pretzels, little verrines, small toasts, and olives.

It is usually not acceptable to start eating until you’ve said cheers. All the rules above apply as well. 

At a special occasion

As we’ve seen, French people cheers at special occasions like graduation, a wedding or an engagement party.

Around a special dish

Sometimes, we have periods where a certain dish must be eaten. For example in January, we have the Galette des Rois which is a sort of pie that we eat in honor of the Kings. It is common to have a drink with it while we eat it with family. In that context, we also say cheers.

When someone has died

Another French tradition is to cheers in honor of someone who has died. After a funeral, the tradition is to gather somewhere to have a drink and a few small bites. There, someone from the family will give a toast and we will all say “à (name of the person)!”.

Is clicking glasses mandatory when saying cheers in France

Saying cheers in France can happen at different moments and in different situations. That’s why it doesn’t alway involve clinking glasses.

For example, you will clink glasses when saying tchin tchin. But when saying “à la votre”, you won’t always clink glasses. Sometimes you’ll clink glasses before saying “à la votre” and sometimes, after. If you are saying cheers to your boss with “à la votre”, you most likely won’t clink glasses. In some instance, someone will say cheers and people will raise their glasses in lieu of clinking them.

The best way to know what to do is to look at what people are doing around you. 

Origin of saying cheers in France

You might be wondering Why do the French say chin chin? The tradition of cheers France is known for, comes from medieval times. Back then, rivals would sometimes come to cheers between themselves whether that’d be at an event or to celebrate a business deal. However, rivals who get into business together are still rivals which brought a risk of being poison. 

As you can imagine, at that time, police and medical resources were limited and the best way to live a long(er) life was to not get poisoned, as opposed to trying to survive being poisoned. 

So for people to check that no-one had poisoned their drinks, they would cheers and clink their glasses quite aggressively, triggering droplets of each drink to fall into each other’s cup. That meant that if your rival had poisoned your drink, they would go down with you. 

Nowadays, your risk of being poisoned while cheering is pretty low, hence why the tradition has evolved  and some people never clink the glasses!

Other languages used to cheer in France 

France borders a number of other European countries who each have their own way of saying cheers. Let’s see the following: 

• Cheers in German: Prost!
• Cheers in Austrian: Prosit!
• Cheers in Spanish: Salud! Salud in French is Santé of TchinTchin
• Cheers in Italian: Salute. The meaning of salute in French is closer to Santé or Tchin Tchin. How to say salute in French is Sa-loot.
• Cheers in Portuguese: Saúde!

Cheers in French Q&As

What do you say when toasting in France?

Common words used when toasting in France include “porter un toast”, “aux jeans mariés”, Félicitations”. 

How do you toast in French?

A toast in French usually starts with someone standing up and calling for attention saying “Je voudrais porter un toast”, meaning “I would like to give a toast”. Then the person will go on with a speech while others are listening either standing or sitting. At the end of the speech, the person will say one of the French equivalent of cheers and people will repeat it while raising their glasses or/and clinking them.

Is Salut French for cheers?

Salut in French means Hello in English. It is close to Salute, which is French Corsican for cheers! 

How to cheers in France?

To cheers in France, you will need one of the above cheers translation and to clink your glass.

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