Published November 12, 2024 • Updated September 26, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
À tes souhaits meaning
À tes souhaits is a French expression that translates literally to “to your wishes” and means “bless you” after someone sneezes. French speakers sometimes add playful expressions after a second or third sneeze, such as à tes amours (to your loves). The expression comes from the old custom of offering good wishes for someone’s health and well-being after a sneeze.
À tes souhaits pronunciation
The IPA pronunciation of À tes souhaits is /a te swɛ/, which sounds approximately like “ah tay sweh.”
À tes souhaits example sentences
À tes souhaits is the informal form you’d use for somebody you address as tu. The formal form is à vos souhaits. Tes and vos are possessive adjectives meaning “your”.
À tes souhaits / À vos souhaits
Bless you! (formal and informal)
For the second sneeze, the French commonly use this expression: à tes amours (to your lovers).
À tes amours / À vos amours
Bless you! (to your lovers)
Then, for the third sneeze, you can add the following:
et qu’elles durent toujours !
and may they last forever!
For the following clip, les tiennes is an example of a possessive pronoun meaning “yours”. Les vôtres is the formal form of “yours”.
que les tiennes / les vôtres durent toujours !
may yours last forever!
For additional sneezes you can continue with the following fun expressions: et à tes enfants (and to your children) and et a ton argent (and to your money).
et à tes enfants / et à vos enfants
and to your children!
et à ton argent, et à votre argent !
and to your money!
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🔗 Related words and expressions
- souhaiter — to wish
- éternuer — to sneeze
- un éternuement — a sneeze
- un souhait — a wish
- une allergie — an allergy
- être allergique à — to be allergic to
- être enrhumé — to have a cold
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