Saying 'Cheers' in French

Saying 'Cheers' in French

The etiquette of eating a French meal can be a meticulous process. From the way you place your hands on the dinner table, to the order in which you food is eaten, the entire experience has a very specific process. French people will be certain to take note of any mishaps during a meal, so we made a simple guide to saying 'cheers' during the aperitif (the drink before a meal) to help you to blend like a native. To your good health, we wish you santé!

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What to Say

Instead of saying 'cheers' while toasting, the French wish each other good health or 'santé.'  You will typically hear this word along with a clink of the drink glasses, thus instead of saying santé, you might hear 'chin chin' (which is the sound the glasses make when they touch each other). Besides these two common sayings, you might also hear 'A ta santé' ('To your health' - informal), 'A votre santé' ('To your health' - formal), or 'A la tienne' ('To yours' (to your health)). Of course, silence always does the trick if you are stuck at a dinner table and do not remember what to say. Even while silent, it is polite to always address a person with your eyes while toasting a drink. Make sure to follow the rules below on what to do while experiencing a French toast.

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WHAT TO DO

Again, the very first important step is to always look in the eyes of the person you are toasting. There is a hidden belief that any person who does not exchange this glance during a toast will suffer from seven years of bad sex or seven years of bad luck, whichever you prefer. It is also very important to never cross your glass with anyone else's. This means, never try to toast someone across the dinner table by putting your glass above or below their's to reach someone else. After you have toasted everyone around the table (it is important that everyone is included), do NOT place your glass on the table. It is impolite to do this. Simple hold your glass in hand, then take the first sip. After this, you are welcome to place your glass on the table and continue the conversation and eating.

WHY DO THE FRENCH DO THIS?

These rules might sound silly, but they do have some history. Back in medieval times, people would often put poison in each other's drinks. So, to make sure a drink didn't have poison in it, people would clink each other's glasses and a portion of the liquid would transfer to the other cup. This way, if someone was being sneaky, poison would be amongst all of the cups. While clinking glasses, people would look intensely at each other's eyes to detect any weird behavior or stress in their demeanor. Things are very different now, but at least some of the traditions of how to toast in French have some background.

I hope you enjoyed The Best French Guide for Saying 'Cheers' in France! If you are looking to learn more French language and cultural skills, don't forget to check out our Private French Lessons and French Group Classes at JP Linguistics. Bonne Journée!

French Vocabulary for Ringing in the New Year

French Vocabulary for Ringing in the New Year

Much like the USA, France rings in each new year with a bang. However, there are a few uniquenesses that French people maintain as customary. Did you know that New Year's Eve is also called 'La fête de la Saint Sylvestre' in honor of Pope Saint Sylvester I? Or that one common tradition includes kissing under the mistletoe? Take a look at some fun French facts below including important vocab to know for the celebration. Bonne Année!

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The New Year's Tradition

Each year a big festival is organized across France called 'le Réveillon de Saint-Sylvestre' to honor Pope Saint Sylvester on December 31st. During this evening time feast, guests enjoy traditional dishes like Blinis with duck foie-gras and champagne. More recently, the French have been enjoying this celebration on a boat cruise to ring in the new year in the middle of the ocean or sea for a romantic and extraordinary experience. In Paris, a huge parade is organized on New Years Eve day in which performers march through a procession that ends at the Trocadéro, under the Eiffel Tower. At the stroke of midnight, fireworks light up the sky across Paris.

By Yann Caradec from Paris, France (Fireworks on Eiffel Tower) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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The Countdown

The mistletoe (or le guy - pronounced like 'lay gee') is one very popular spot to be standing under during the countdown to midnight. This special zone is spent smooching a loved one as the new year approaches. If you are celebrating at a friend's home or a quant bar, le guy might be easier to find. Otherwise, if you find yourself at a nightclub (or boîte de nuit) dancing the night way, you might be more focused on clinking your glass and saying Bonne Année (Happy New Year) or Santé (Health or Cheers) with champagne as midnight approaches. Small paper balls (or des cotillons) might fall from the sky and crowds of people would clap and make loud noises.

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VOCABULARY

Much of the celebrating is done with offering kind words and good wishes for a positive new year. Below are some common phrases and their meanings:

Bonne année et bonne santé! = Happy new year and good health!

Bonne Année! = Happy New Year!

Bonne année deux mille seize! = Happy 2016!

Le jour de l'an = New Year's day

Une bonne résolution = New Year's resolution

Le repas du Novel An - New Year's meal

I hope you enjoyed reading The Best French Vocabulary for New Years in France! Bonne année et bonne santé pour deux mille seize! If one of your New Year's resolutions is to learn French, make sure to visit our schedule in 2016 to sign up for Group French Classes and Private French Lessons at JP Linguistics. Bonne journée!