When someone sneezes, what do native English speakers say in answer to sneeze?
Sneezing is a reflex action. People often sneeze when they have a cold or the flu, when they are allergic to pollen, or simply when something irritates their nose.
If you hear someone sneeze, it is polite to say something. There are only two ways English speakers usually respond:
“God bless you.”
“Bless you.”
As you can see, “Bless you” is the shortened version of “God bless you.”
Apart from these expressions, there is no common response to sneezing. Of course, you might tell your friends something funny if they make a very loud noise when sneezing, such as:
“Whoa, that was a great one!”
“Careful, I think I’ve gone deaf in one ear!”
Or, if you want to be more helpful, you can ask them:
“Are you OK?”
“Do you need a tissue?”
