Prost! Translation: Cheers! Toss on an “Ein Toast!” at the end to encourage a celebratory “bottoms up!” before drinking your Märzen with friends. Fun fact: if you find yourself in Switzerland with a beer in hand, you can substitute “Broscht!” for “Prost!” This is the Swiss-German way to say “Cheers!”
You've had a long day at work, and you're sitting down to enjoy a drink with one of your German friends. Before you take your first sip of sweet, sweet Helles, you raise your glass, as humans have done across the world since time immemorial. You clink glasses with your friend and utter a hearty "Prost!".
Starting with an expression you're likely to hear a lot at Oktoberfest, this is how to say 'cheers!
Prost! = Cheers! If there is one German phrase you learn during your time at Oktoberfest, let it be this one! Prost is a cheer that works for any social drinking occasion, and is easy enough for Americans to pronounce.
Drinking Culture in Germany
However, when saying cheers at this historic event it's important to do so properly. In German culture, it's important to toast a fellow drinker by using the phrase “Prost!” and making direct eye contact with each member of your party while doing so.
Squirrel has become notorious as a word which non-native English speakers can't pronounce. There's even a whole reddit thread discussing why Germans squirm in their quest to pronounce the seemingly simply word, and a viral video documenting it.
“All beginnings are hard.” “He who chases two rabbits at once will catch none.” “Starting is easy, persistence is an art.”
Translation: “To Your Health! “ Zum Wohl is the most common way to toast in Germany.
German Interjections to Express Joy
In English you can express joy by saying “Hooray!”, “Yay!”, or if you're feeling traditional, “Yippee!” German also has several words for “hooray”: Hurra (pronounced with a light breath in), Jippi and Juhu.
“Servus!” The informal Bavarian greeting, alongside the more formal “Grüß Gott” (groos got), is the only way you should greet your fellow revellers before embarking on your day of Oktoberfest festivities.
German. Interestingly, Gesundheit, the German response to a sneeze, is also the most common expression for English speakers who prefer not to say “bless you.” It simply means “health,” which is used in a number of languages when someone sneezes (makes sense).
ZICKE ZACKE, ZICKE ZACKE, HOI HOI HOI
Supposedly it means a toast, a toast, a cozy place.
"Guten Tag" (Good day) or “Hallo” (Hello) are the most common verbal greetings used in Germany. In the South, some people may say “Grüß Gott” (literally translating as 'Greet God'). In formal situations, one should address another person with their title and last name, “Herr” (Mr.)
Because saying “Guten Appetit” before a meal in German is mandatory. You can also say “zum Wohl” (good health) or “Mahlzeit” (mealtime), particularly at lunch. Another mandatory German saying is the “Prost!” when you clink glasses.
toast → toasten; anstoßen; auf jds.
Cheers in German is not only having ein toast (a toast) but also a way to say goodbye. There are a few different traditions when it comes to toasting and saying farewells that you should know about. If you want to drink like a pro, keep these in mind for an authentic German experience.