Portuguese · Greetings & Essentials

"Bless you! (after a sneeze)" in Portuguese: saúde!

saúde!

Say it: sah-OO-jeephrase/sa.ˈú.dʒi/

Bless you after a sneeze in Portuguese is saúde! Friends answer with Obrigada and sometimes another saúde jokingly.

Office cubicle

Saúde! Quer um lenço de papel?
Bless you! Want a tissue?
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How to pronounce saúde!

Say it

sah-OO-jee

/sa.ˈú.dʒi/

sah-OO-jee

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

PortugueseEnglish
saúde!bless you!

After a sneeze.

saúde! quer um lenço?bless you! want a tissue?

Caring follow-up.

à sua saúdeto your health

Toast sense—different situation.

Deus te abençoeGod bless you

Religious alternative, less automatic after sneezes.

How to use saúde! in real life

  1. 1Office cubicle

    Saúde! Quer um lenço de papel?

    Bless you! Want a tissue?

    Full sneeze reply.

  2. 2Crowded bus

    Alguém disse saúde atrás de mim.

    Someone said bless you behind me.

    Public politeness.

  3. 3Video call

    Saúde! Achei que a conexão falhou.

    Bless you! I thought the connection failed.

    Remote sneeze.

Mistakes English speakers make with saúde!

Incorrect: Bless you!

Correct: Saúde!

After a sneeze in Portuguese, say saúde!

Incorrect: Salud! (Spanish)

Correct: Saúde!

Portuguese keeps the accent: saúde.

Good to know

Saúde! after a sneeze is automatic in Brazil. The same word means health and appears in toasts as à sua saúde—context separates sneeze from cheers.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

A sneeze during a café chat

  1. ChatPal

    Atchimdesculpa.

    Achoo—sorry.

  2. You

    Saúde!

    Bless you!

  3. ChatPal

    Obrigada. Saúde de novo se eu espirrar outra vez.

    Thanks. Bless you again if I sneeze another time.

  4. You

    Saúde sempre.

    Bless you always.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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

FAQ

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

What do I answer after saúde?

Obrigado / Obrigada.

Is it only for sneezes?

As a sneeze reply yes; saúde also means health.

Spanish salud?

Close, but Portuguese is saúde with the accent.

Toast?

À sua saúde—different from the sneeze line.

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