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I've heard Germans saying:

Gesundheit

But in a movie, someone sneezes and someone else saying:

Heuschnupfen?

Is it polite? Is it colloquial? What else could I say when talking to someone and he/she sneezes, politely and formally?

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5 Answers 5

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Saying "Gesundheit" is the polite way. Asking if the sneezing person has hay fever is rude, but ok if you have a close relation to that person (close friend).

Polite alternatives would be "Geht's wieder?" (Better now?) or "Wirst wohl krank?" (Getting ill?). This way you can show that you care for the person that sneezes.

I personally do not agree with the newly promoted rule to say nothing as this shows ignorance and being ill is nothing to be ashamed off.

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  • Great answer, no further discussion.
    – user508
    Jan 27, 2012 at 20:34
  • I don't like the new rule either and even caught me paying more attention to always say “Gesundheit”...
    – cgnieder
    Feb 9, 2012 at 19:08
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"Gesundheit"

Yes, it is polite.

"Heuschnupfen?" in the movie it could be a question. The person sneezes and the other one asks if it's due to hay fever.

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  • I see "Heuschnupfen?" is a question, the point is one would ask if the person caught a cold when someone sneezes. I'm asking if it's a better response than "gesundheit".
    – user508
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:17
  • @Gigili I think the "Heuschnupfen?" thing is quite special. I wouldn't ask anyone why s/he's sneezong :-)
    – Oli
    Feb 2, 2012 at 7:57
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There isn't a (good) alternative.

The best you can say is simply Gesundheit. Some people add an additional pleasantry, like und ein langes Leben or whatever. But only a few people do so.

Some people, especially women, modify Gesundheit to something terrible like Gesundi, what is not an actual word, but is understood.

Knigge advises to ignore when someone sneezes. Moreover, he consider an excuse as required

Muss man selbst, oder aber eine andere Person in einem Raum niesen, ignoriert man dies als einen unerheblichen Zwischenfall. [...]

Ein kurzes "Entschuldigung" ist durchaus angebracht, [...]

Regarding Heuschnupfen: As Oli said, it'is a question if the man/woman who is sneezing has hay fever. Assuming, the scene of the movie is at a time, when there are a lot of pollen.

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    "Gesundi"? Au weia...
    – Jan
    Jan 27, 2012 at 11:13
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    And I have one more, but attention please. It is more painful than Gesundi :D Hatschi mein Schatzi :D
    – Em1
    Jan 27, 2012 at 11:27
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    I do not know who started this, that you should not say "Gesundheit" anymore, but all people I know do it. I have the feeling that some guys declared themselves as politeness experts (for what reason soever) and than started to tell everyone to skip it. Maybe some people are happy if they are told what to do ...
    – John Smithers
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:02
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    @JohnSmithers: I completely agree with you (on this issue only). As long as one would never say a "gesundheit" for each sneeze if someone sneezes a million times in a minute, saying nothing is not more polite than saying "gesundheit".
    – user508
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:12
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    @OregonGhost: Knigge is overrated if you ask me. People who think they know better how to behave (especially if the majority looks like to disagree) are suspect at best. And "to comply with other cultures"? WTF? Have we really fallen that deep, that we are not allowed to have our own culture?
    – John Smithers
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:35
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Früher sagte man in der Tat Gesundheit, aber heute ist es am höflichsten gar nichts zu sagen.

Den meisten Leuten ist es unangenehm, krank zu sein, und sie wünschen nicht daran erinnert oder bemitleidet zu werden.

Entweder die Leute bekommen nur ein Staubkorn in die Nase, dann ist ein einzelnes Niesen kein Symptom mangelnder Gesundheit, und der Wunsch unangemessen. Oder sie sind wahrhaft erkältet, dann sind sie mit dem Herauskramen des Taschentuches genug bestraft, und wünschen nicht alle zehn Minuten einer anderen Person gegenüber in ein 

  Gesundheit
  Danke

Ritual zu verfallen. Höflicher ist es, so zu tun, als habe man nichts gemerkt.

Wenn man jedoch den ganzen Tag mit einer anderen Person im Büro sitzt, dann kann man durchaus einmal morgens Gesundheit wünschen, aber bitte nicht zu jedem Nieser, und nicht auf dem Flur, wo sich das schnell zum Spießrutenlauf auswächst, wenn aus sieben Büros ein aufmunterndes "Gesundheit" schallt, für das sich der Kranke dann jeweils artig bedanken soll.

Die Frage hat einen zweiten Aspekt, der offenbar von den Kommentatoren nicht bedacht wird, die eine einmalige Verständigung über die Konvention als zu umständlich ablehnen, und sich fürchten, als unhöflich zu gelten, wenn sie kein Gesundheit wünschen, und zwar ist dies die Interpretation, wenn andere Euch nicht Gesundheit wünschen. Betrachtet es dann zur Sicherheit als Versuch, besonders höflich zu sein, und nicht als mutwilligen Affront.

Die Situation ist übrigens ähnlich zum Phänomen des Mahlzeit-Sagens, schön illustriert durch dieses Poltvideo.

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    This is correct. The politest thing is to say nothing at all. As a rule of thumb: "Don't comment any sounds of the body".
    – Core_F
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:21
  • Doesn't the person get the impression that I don't care?
    – user508
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:25
  • @Gigili: Maybe. For a random contact, you will not care so much about it. For people, you're acting with on a daily basis, you can clarify it once for all times. Ask for an agreement for the new habit which you heard of, and which sounds reasonable to you.
    – user unknown
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:36
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    @userunknown: What about just saying "Gesundheit" when they sneeze instead of all of that agreements and clarifications?
    – user508
    Jan 27, 2012 at 13:39
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    @userunknown You must be an engineer :-)
    – Jan
    Jan 27, 2012 at 14:31
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In Austria (at least) you'll also hear "Zum Wohl" ("to your health").

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