Toasts

[Bryon]

I've yet to find a consensus, a hard and fast rule, on when to use one or the other... even after eight years of rigorous research. (Ahem!)
"Na" is definitely the most common of the two, and is, indeed, used as a toast. (It's also used in the context Anna mentions below.) The explanation that makes the most sense, to me, is that "na" is preferable when the toast is more general, when no one in particular is being addressed. In this way it's kind of like "Cheers!" But "za" is used when someone wants to be more specific, to toast to the health of someone in particular. That's why "za" is always (in my experience) followed by a pronoun (such as "Vashe/vashe " or "nashe"), as in, "Za vashe zdorov'e."

Bryon

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: ????????? ???? 
  To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU 
  Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 11:40 PM
  Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Toasts


  Hello, Raul,
  "Na zdorov'e" is actually not a toast but an answer to the word "Thank you"
  (Spasibo) - smth like welcome; while "za zdorov'e" is indeed a toast "for
  health" ("sante", like the French say).

  Best,
  Anna
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Raul MacDiarmid" <raul_macdiarmid at WEB.DE>
  To: <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
  Sent: Friday, February 27, 2004 11:23 PM
  Subject: [SEELANGS] Toasts


  > Can someone explain the contrasting use of "na" and "za"
  > in drinking toasts, as in for example: "Na zdorov'e" vs "za zdorov'e"?
  >
  > Thank you
  > R
  >
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