French · Greetings & Essentials

"Bless you! (after a sneeze)" in French: à tes souhaits !

à tes souhaits !

Say it: ah tay soo-EHphrase/a te swɛ/

Note: formal: à vos souhaits !

Bless you! after a sneeze in French is à tes souhaits ! With vous, say à vos souhaits ! Keep the whole phrase; there is no religious wording here.

Office sneeze

Atchoum ! — À tes souhaits !
Achoo! — Bless you!
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How to pronounce à tes souhaits !

Say it

ah tay soo-EH

/a te swɛ/

À tes souhaits: ah tay soo-EH. Souhaits has a soft soft t sound at the end for many speakers.

"Bless you! (after a sneeze)" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
à tes souhaits !bless you!

Informal tu.

à vos souhaits !bless you!

Formal / plural vous.

à tes souhaitsbless you

Same phrase without bang.

santé !bless you / cheers

Also heard after a sneeze.

How to use à tes souhaits ! in real life

  1. 1Office sneeze

    Atchoum ! — À tes souhaits !

    Achoo! — Bless you!

    Full à tes souhaits.

  2. 2With a stranger

    À vos souhaits ! Vous voulez un mouchoir ?

    Bless you! Do you want a tissue?

    À vos souhaits.

  3. 3Friend series

    Encore ? À tes souhaits, prends un thé.

    Again? Bless you—have some tea.

    Repeat sneeze.

Mistakes English speakers make with à tes souhaits !

Incorrect: Dieu te bénisse (calque).

Correct: À tes souhaits !

French sneeze etiquette uses à tes souhaits.

Incorrect: À ton souhaits !

Correct: À tes souhaits !

Plural souhaits with tes.

Good to know

À tes souhaits literally means to your wishes. Some people also say santé. Responding with merci is enough; no need for a speech.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

On the bus during allergy season

  1. ChatPal

    Atchoum !

    Achoo!

  2. You

    À tes souhaits ! Tu as des allergies ?

    Bless you! Do you have allergies?

  3. ChatPal

    Oui. Atchoumà tes souhaits si tu l'attrapes aussi.

    Yes. Achoo… bless you if you catch it too.

  4. You

    Je reste loin, merci.

    I'll stay back, thanks.

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"Bless you! (after a sneeze)" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Bless you! (after a sneeze)" in French

How do you say bless you after a sneeze?

À tes souhaits ! (tu) / à vos souhaits ! (vous).

Is there a religious phrase?

Not in everyday French—use à tes souhaits.

Can I say santé?

Yes, some people do after a sneeze.

How do you pronounce à tes souhaits?

ah tay soo-EH.

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