Bless you is what you say when someone sneezes. The usual reply is Thank you or just Thanks. It's ordinary politeness, and you can say it to anyone: a friend, a colleague, the person next to you on the bus.
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Bless you! (after a sneeze); — Bless you. — Thank you.; Oh, bless you! (UK, warm thanks)
- — Achoo! — Bless you! Do you want a tissue? — Thanks, I think I'm getting a cold.
- Every time my colleague sneezed during the meeting, someone quietly said, 'Bless you.'
- — I've made you a cup of tea. — Oh, bless you, that's just what I needed.
What changed
First versionMy colleague sneezed, and I said, 'Be healthy!'
RevisionMy colleague sneezed, and I said, 'Bless you!'
Wishing someone good health may seem like the natural thing to say, but nobody says Be healthy! after a sneeze: it sounds like advice to live a healthier life. English has a fixed phrase for this situation: Bless you.
In informal British English, Bless you! can also be a warm thank-you, like “that's so kind of you”: it's a reply to a small kindness, and nobody has sneezed. — I've brought you some soup. — Oh, bless you!
Your turn
When the man next to me on the bus sneezed, I turned and said, '___!'
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Bless you — The man next to you on the bus sneezed, and in English the response to a sneeze is Bless you. Good health! is a toast, said when raising a glass, and after a sneeze it would sound strange.
A colleague sneezes several times in a row during a meeting. Write a short exchange: you say Bless you and offer help, and your colleague replies.
— Bless you! Would you like me to open the window? — Thank you, the dust in here is terrible.
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