When someone sneezes, ¡Salud! is your go-to Spanish phrase for “Bless you!” Beyond this common, yet essential response, there are several ways to express your blessings in Spanish—for everything from a simple sneeze to a more profound sentiment. As you learn Spanish, building on basic vocabulary like salud with more advanced words and expressions, like dios te bendiga, will help you sound more natural and build confidence in the language.
Table of Contents
How do you say ‘bless you’ in Spanish after a sneeze?
Spanish interjections are useful in everyday speech for expressing emotion or sentiment. One such example is “Bless you!” in Spanish, which momentarily breaks a conversation as you offer a polite blessing after a sneeze. In written Spanish, interjections like these are typically set off by an opening upside-down exclamation point (¡) and a closing exclamation mark (!).
Salud
Salud, frequently written with Spanish punctuation marks as ¡Salud!, is the most common way to say “bless you” in Spanish in response to someone’s sneeze. Literally translating to “health” in Spanish, you use it as a polite wish for good health.
Here’s how it’s used in context:
- ¡Salud! ¿Necesitas un pañuelo? = Bless you! Do you need a tissue?
- ¡Salud! = Bless you!
- Gracias. = Thank you.
Salud is an important Spanish word with multiple applications that can enhance your fluency. You can see how salud is used in other contexts when you use the reliable online Spanish Dictionary.
Jesús
Every Spanish-speaking country has its unique Spanish slang, vocabulary, and expressions. Learning these regionalisms along with common Spanish phrases for travel is invaluable, helping you navigate conversations with locals.
For example, in Spain you’ll often hear ¡Jesús! used instead of ¡Salud! in response to a sneeze.
- ¡Jesús! Espero que no te estés enfermando. = Bless you! I hope you’re not getting sick.
- ¡Achís! = Achoo!
- ¡Jesús! = Bless you!
How to say ‘bless you’ in Spanish to wish someone well
In everyday speech, you can use “bless you” in Spanish to simply say thank you or wish someone well, beyond just responding to a sneeze. To express this sense of gratitude or goodwill for someone who went out of their way to help you, you’ll use the irregular -IR verb bendecir (to bless) alongside a direct object pronoun in Spanish.
Dios te bendiga
Dios te bendiga is used to express “bless you,” or “God bless you” in Spanish in more religious contexts. You’ll use it when speaking to a friend, family member, or anyone you’d address informally.
- ¡Ay, qué amable! ¡Dios te bendiga! = Oh, you are too kind! Bless you!
- ¡Dios te bendiga por tu fe! = God bless you for your faith!
Dios lo bendiga
To appropriately wish someone well in both informal and formal contexts, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with usted vs. tu in Spanish. Use usted to say “bless you” in Spanish to a respected elder, a formal acquaintance, or someone in a position of authority. When speaking to a male, you’ll then use the pronoun lo.
- Su amabilidad vale mucho. ¡Dios lo bendiga, señor! = Your kindness means a lot. Bless you, sir!
- Usted me ha enseñado mucho. ¡Dios lo bendiga, Don Francisco! = You have taught me so much. God bless you, Don Francisco!
Dios la bendiga
You’ll need to change lo to la when speaking to a female whom you are addressing formally.
- Es un honor ser su sacerdote. ¡Dios la bendiga, señora! = It’s an honor to be your priest. God bless you, ma’am!
- Gracias por todo lo que ha hecho por la comunidad. ¡Dios la bendiga! = Thank you for all you’ve done for the community. Bless you!
Dios los bendiga
When addressing a group of people that includes men, or is entirely male, you’ll use Dios los bendiga.
- ¡Dios los bendiga a usted y a su familia! = Bless you and your family!
- Gracias por todo. Dios los bendiga. = Thank you for everything. Bless you.
Dios las bendiga
When addressing a group of people that is entirely female, you’ll use Dios las bendiga to say “bless you” in Spanish.
- Gracias por su apoyo incondicional. ¡Dios las bendiga mucho! = Thank you for your unconditional support. Bless you all!
- Agradecemos su presencia hoy. ¡Dios las bendiga! = We appreciate your presence today. God bless you all!
0 Commentaires