How To Say Cheers In Irish And How To Pronouce It(Sláinte)

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You visit Ireland for the first time, stop into an Irish bar, and are wondering, “just how do I say cheers in Irish!?”. 

Don’t worry; you are not the first person to Google this. How to say cheers in Irish get’s Googled over 8000 times a month in America alone! 

So how do you say cheers in Irish? 

While there are various ways to say cheers in Irish, the most common way to say cheers in Irish is Sláinte!

How do you pronounce “cheers in Irish”? 🍺🍺

You pronounce Sláinte like “slawwn-chee” or “Slaw-in-tche”

What does Sláinte mean in English?

While there are many variations of Sláinte, which I will go into detail below, they all generally mean: “to your health” or “good health.” The literal translation of Sláinte is “Health.”

Now, if you want to blow away an Irishman or Irish woman, then try to say this Irish saying:

Go mbeirimíd beo ar an am seo arís – “May we be alive at this same time again next year.”

• Pronounced: Guh mer-i-meedh bee-oh er an am shu areesh

Not the easiest thing to say after a few pints of Guinness, but I am sure they will appreciate it. 

Other ways to say Cheers in Irish

There are a few different ways you might hear in an Irish pub or with an Irish person that you might recognise. Just don’t forget the basics: Cheers! = Sláinte! 🍺

Other variations of ways to say Cheers in Irish you might hear are:

• Sláinte mhaith (pronounced slan-cha vah) – meaning “good health.”
• Sláinte chugat (pronounced hoo-uv) – meaning “health to you.”

You can also try and say: sláinte is táinte (“slawn-che iss toin-che”), meaning “health and wealth”. “Cheers” is one of the words included in lesson 10 of our course.

How to say “Cheers” and “I love you” in Irish: 

The video below can give you some great context into just how to pronounce “Cheers in Irish”. 

Some Irish expressions included in this video are:

• Sláinte! – cheers (Sláinte also means “health”)
• Lá breithe sona duit – happy birthday
• ádh mór ort – good luck (This means “big luck on you”)
• Nollaig shona duit – Happy Christmas
• Tá mé i ngrá leat – I’m in love with you

And while you are here, why not learn an Irish toast:

This is a perfect toast for an Irish wedding:

• Toast: May you live, and may you wear it out
  Irish: Go mairir is go gathair
  Pronunciation: Guh mah-rir is guh gah-hir

How do you say happy new years in Irish:

• “Go mbeire muid mbeo ar an am seo arís” for New Year’s. 

This toast is appropriate to use on New Year’s Eve and wishes for health and prolonged life.

It means basically:  “may we be alive at this time next year.”

• You should pronounce this toast as go merr-ih-meedh mee-oh err on om shioh ah-reesh.

How do you say “Happy St Patrick’s Day” in Irish?

If you are visiting Ireland, one final thing you should know is how to say “Happy St Patrick’s Day” in Irish! 

• Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit! – Happy St Patrick’s Day to you (singular)
• Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh! – Happy St Patrick’s Day to you (plural)

What other ways of saying Cheers in Irish do you know? 

Comment below and let us know, and thank you for stopping by. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to my weekly dose of Irish and get updates to your inbox every Friday. Subscribe here.

Stephen 

P.S One last Irish toast:

Toast: May God not weaken your hand
Irish: Nár laga Dia do lámh
Pronunciation: Nar lah-ga Djee-ah dhu lawv

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