Spanish Word of the Day: Brindis (toast)

The word brindis comes from the German word brindern, which means to offer. With time, it became synonymous with the celebratory gesture of raising glasses to share good wishes.

Brindis is a masculine noun which means to toast, to raise a glass, or to say a toast. Similarly, the verb brindar, refers to the action of doing these same things. Brindis takes the following definite and indefinite articles:

• el brindis = the toast
• los brindis = the toasts
• un brindis = a toast
• unos brindis = some toasts

Levantar una copa (raising a glass) is a symbolic tradición (tradition) in many Spanish-speaking cultures. It’s a ritual and tradition that connects people and one that celebrates, honours, and wishes someone well.

A brindis is often done during significant social gatherings, events, milestones, or other celebratory moments. Some special occasions where a toast is offered include bodas (weddings), cumpleaños (birthdays), aniversarios (anniversaries), nochevieja (New Year’s Eve), graduaciones (graduations), festivos (holidays), festivals (festivals), and other achievements.

La costumbre (the custom) of raising a glass originated in ancient civilizations. The Romans and the Greeks would offer a brindis to their gods. They believed sharing a drink bonded people and was a sign of respeto mutuo (mutual respect).

Today, this tradición (tradition) is widely done around the world and is still a warm act that brings people together to form enlaces (bonds) when celebrating special moments or simply celebrating life.

When raising a glass to toast, you chocar las copas (clink the glasses). In many cultures, there might be a symbolic meaning behind the action, such as buena fortuna (good fortune) or solidaridad (solidarity).

In many culturas (cultures), it’s customary to say a short phrase to accompany the brindis. Here are some Spanish frases (phrases) said across Latin America and Spain:

• ¡Salud!: This word translates to “health.” It’s the most widely used phrase across Spain and Latin America. It wishes good health to all those present in the toast.
• ¡Salud, dinero y amor!: This phrase means “health, money, and love.” This is a popular toast that wishes well-being, wealth, and happiness to those present in the toast.
• Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa’ dentro!: This phrase is a fun and playful toast practiced in Mexico and other Latin American countries. It translates to “Up, down, to the center, and inside!” This toast is accompanied by actions, where you raise your glass to the air (arriba), bring it down (abajo), bring it in to clink glasses (al centro), and then drink it (pa’ dentro). This toast is usually done amongst friends in casual settings.
• ¡Viva!: This phrase translates to “long live”. It is said alone or accompanied by other words such as “¡Viva los novios!” (Long live the newlyweds!) or “¡Viva la amistad!” (Long live friendship!).
• ¡Pompai! This is a Venezuelan toast which is similar to saying “Cheers!”
• ¡Chin chin! Chin chin! is a casual toast in Spain with friends.
• Cheers! The English phrase is used by many Spanish-Speakers, particularly with friends or non-Spanish speakers.

A brindis can be made with all kinds of bebidas (beverages) depending on the region and occasion, but it is most common to toast with champán (champagne). But don’t worry if you don’t have champagne! You can toast with vino (wine), cerveza (beer), ron (rum), whisky (whiskey), aguardiente from Colombia, non-alcoholic drinks, or Tequila and Mezcal from Mexico (which is popularly accompanied by the toast “Salud, dinero, amor” and the “Arriba, abajo, al centro y pa’ dentro”).

Believe it or not, there are a few reglas de etiquetas (rules of etiquette) when participating in a brindis, and different cultures might have different rules. The most common ones are chocar las copas (clinking the glasses) together and making contacto visual (eye contact) with the person or people you toast with. It’s a sign of respeto (respect).

It’s also important to wait for the right time, usually until the anfitrión or anfitriona (host or hostess) raises their glass after saying a discurso (speech) or a frase (phrase), such as cheers. It’s customary to take a sip immediately following the raising of the glass. Some may consider it descortés (impolite) to have a copa vacía (empty glass). So, even if you don’t drink alcohol, fill it with water so you can participate in the toast, especially during very special occasions such as weddings.

Fun Fact:

In Mexican culture, there is a superstition when doing a brindis. It is believed that failing to make contacto visual (eye contact) while clinking a glass can bring 7 years of mala suerte (bad luck) to your sex life or romantic life. Therefore, if you want good intimacy, make sure to look people in the eye when brindando (toasting).

Whether you believe in superstitions or not, looking someone in the eyes is still considered a sign of respect not only in Mexico but also in different Latin American countries. Avoiding contacto visual (eye contact) can be seen as a sign of insinceridad (insincerity) or falta de atención y respeto (lack of attention and respect). The superstition about having bad luck in bed may sound like an exaggeration, but it exemplifies how important the ritual of a toast is. It represents strong cultural beliefs of good wishes of health, happiness, and well-being, so make sure to take it seriously when toasting.

As mentioned before, brindar is the verb for toasting. Some common phrases accompanying this action are the following:

• brindar por la buena suerte = to toast to good luck (or good fortune)
• brindar apoyo = to offer support (give help or encouragement)
• brindar una sonrisa = to offer a smile (to show kindness or a warm gesture by smiling)
• brindar un buen ejemplo = to set a good example (to desmonstrate behaviors others should follow

Spanish idioms featuring ‘brindis’