Italian · Greetings & Essentials

"Cheers!" in Italian: salute! / cin cin!

salute! / cin cin!

Say it: sah-LOO-tehinterjection/saˈlu.te/

Cheers in Italian is salute! (sah-LOO-teh) or cin cin! (cheen cheen). Raise the glass, make eye contact, and say one of them before the first sip.

Dinner toast

Salute! Alla vostra famiglia.
Cheers! To your family.
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How to pronounce salute! / cin cin!

Say it

sah-LOO-teh

/saˈlu.te/

Salute stresses LOO: sah-LOO-teh. Cin cin is two short cheen sounds.

"Cheers!" in Italian: quick reference

ItalianEnglish
salute!cheers!

Classic toast.

cin cin!cheers! (clink)

Casual and playful.

alla saluteto your health

Slightly fuller toast.

brindisia toast

The act of toasting.

How to use salute! / cin cin! in real life

  1. 1Dinner toast

    Salute! Alla vostra famiglia.

    Cheers! To your family.

    Salute as opener.

  2. 2Aperitivo

    Cin cin, e buona serata!

    Cheers, and have a nice evening!

    Cin cin casual.

  3. 3Wedding table

    Facciamo un brindisi: salute agli sposi!

    Let's make a toast: cheers to the newlyweds!

    Salute + agli.

Mistakes English speakers make with salute! / cin cin!

Incorrect: Cheers!

Correct: Salute! / Cin cin!

Use Italian toast words with Italian speakers.

Incorrect: Saluti! (as a toast)

Correct: Salute!

Saluti means greetings; the toast is salute.

Good to know

Italians often look each other in the eye during salute or cin cin. Clinking cheaply without the word feels incomplete at a friendly table.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

First sip at aperitivo

  1. ChatPal

    Pronto? Salute!

    Ready? Cheers!

  2. You

    Cin cin! Questo spritz è perfetto.

    Cheers! This spritz is perfect.

  3. ChatPal

    Ancora salute, alloraalla vacanza.

    Cheers again, then—to the holiday.

  4. You

    Alla vacanza!

    To the holiday!

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"Cheers!" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Cheers!" in Italian

Salute or cin cin?

Both mean cheers. Salute is classic; cin cin is light and social.

What does salute also mean?

Health—and bless you after a sneeze.

Do I tap glasses?

Often yes among friends, then sip.

Is saluti the same?

No—saluti are greetings (“regards”), not the toast.

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  4. Step 4: Use it in real scenarios

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