# All Slavic languages: bless you vs cheers!



## sesperxes

Dear foreros,

could we prepare this thread with expressions used after a sneeze vs before having alcohol? Is there any other specific expression wishing health? (after a burst of cough, after a hiccup, and so on). 

If I'm not wrong (please, correct me!), in Croatian there is "Na zdravlje!" after a sneeze vs "živjeli!" for alcoholic drinks. Do other Slavic  languages mantain too this dichotomy?

Thanks.


----------



## Azori

In Slovak it's "Na zdravie!" for both.


----------



## ilocas2

Czech:

*Na zdraví!* for both, after sneezing also *Zdravíčko!* (diminutive of zdraví - health) or *Pozdrav Pánbůh!* (Greet lordGod)


----------



## iobyo

sesperxes said:


> Do other Slavic  languages mantain too this dichotomy?



Macedonian doesn't: it's _на здравје _in both cases.


----------



## Azori

sesperxes said:


> Is there any other specific expression wishing health? (after a burst of cough, after a hiccup, and so on).


There is also the word živio (and its rarer variants živila and živili) which is used to wish good health and long life, usually when proposing a toast at celebrations, birthday parties, weddings and the like. However, it's of foreign origin (it was allegedly loaned from BCS just before the revolutions in 1848) and it's used far less than "na zdravie". There is a song that includes this word (not sure where it comes from and what language it is in, though) that is commonly sung at celebrations in Slovakia, mostly among older people. The lyrics translate roughly as: May you live long, many years (the lines are repeated). There are different versions of the lyrics on the web. Here are two of them - 1., 2.


----------



## Vanja

After sneezing: *Na* zdravlje! ((God) bless you!)
When toasting: *U* zdravlje / Živjeli! Живели! (Cheers! / To your health!)
_Pijem u tvoje zdravlje_ - I drink (to) your health


----------



## marco_2

In Polish is *Na zdrowie! *for both, though when you sneeze twice or more, some people add *Sto lat! *


----------



## TriglavNationalPark

Slovenian: *Na zdravje!* for both.


----------



## swintok

In Ukrainian for both it's на здоров'я or some variant (e.g., Дай Боже здоров'я).


----------



## chernobyl

Bulgarian: "наздраве" (_nazdrave_) for both.


----------



## ectuohy

I was taught the distinction--may just be literary--between на здоров'я for the toast and будь(те) здоровий/а for the sneeze...


----------



## rusita preciosa

Russian: 
Toast: *на здоровье */na zdorovie/ (to/for the health)
Sneezing: *будь здоров */bud' zdorov/(be healthy)

They also say *на здоровье* as "you are welcome" in response to "thank you", but it is mostly used jockingly nowadays.


----------



## BezierCurve

marco_2 said:


> In Polish is *Na zdrowie! *for both, though when you sneeze twice or more, some people add *Sto lat! *


Also, you will often hear simply "Zdrowie!" or "Zdrówko!" in case of "Cheers!".


----------

