Ways to say happy birthday
| Spanish | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| Feliz cumpleaños | Happy birthday | Anyone, anywhere |
| Feliz cumple | Happy bday | Friends and family; casual and in texts |
| ¡Felicidades! | Congratulations! | The usual birthday wish in Spain; used in Latin America too |
| ¡Muchas felicidades! | Many congratulations! | A warmer ¡felicidades! |
| Que cumplas muchos más | May you have many more | Added after feliz cumpleaños |
| Feliz cumpleaños atrasado | Happy belated birthday | When you are late |
For a formal wish, to a boss or an older person, add their title: Feliz cumpleaños, señora García.
Birthday messages for a card or a text
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Te deseo lo mejor. | Happy birthday! I wish you the best. |
| Que pases un día increíble. | Have an amazing day. |
| Que todos tus deseos se hagan realidad. | May all your wishes come true. |
| ¡Feliz cumple, amiga! Que la pases súper bien. | Happy bday, friend! Have a great time. |
| Feliz cumpleaños, mamá. Te quiero mucho. | Happy birthday, Mom. I love you lots. |
| ¡Muchas felicidades en tu día! | Congratulations on your day! |
| ¡Salud por muchos años más! | Cheers to many more years! |
In Latin America, have a good time is que la pases bien; in Spain it is que lo pases bien. For more ways to sign off with love, see I love you in Spanish.
The birthday songs
Cumpleaños feliz is the Happy Birthday tune with Spanish words, and it is sung at parties in Spain and across much of Latin America. It starts "Cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos a ti".
Las Mañanitas is Mexico’s birthday song, also sung in parts of Central America. It is traditionally sung in the morning to wake the birthday person, and at the party before the cake. It opens with "Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David".
At a Mexican party, after the song, the guests chant ¡Mordida! ("bite!"): the birthday person takes a bite of the cake, and someone often pushes their face into it.
Talking about age and birthdays
Spanish uses cumplir, "to complete", for turning an age:
- Hoy cumplo años. Today is my birthday.
- ¿Cuántos años cumples? How old are you turning?
- Cumplo treinta. I’m turning thirty.
- ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? When is your birthday?
- Mi cumpleaños es el 5 de mayo. My birthday is May 5.
A girl’s fifteenth birthday is a big celebration in Mexico and much of Latin America, called la quinceañera or los quince.
How to reply
- ¡Gracias! Thank you!
- ¡Muchas gracias! Thank you so much!
- Gracias por acordarte. Thanks for remembering.
- Gracias, qué lindo mensaje. Thanks, what a lovely message.
More ways to thank people: thank you in Spanish.
Common mistakes
- Feliz cumpleaño. The word always ends in s, even for one birthday: feliz cumpleaños.
- Dropping the tilde. Without the ñ, años (years) becomes anos, a very different and embarrassing word. Copy ñ and other accents if your keyboard lacks them.
- Feliz aniversario. That is for anniversaries, not birthdays.
- Tengo treinta cumpleaños. For age, say tengo treinta años (I am thirty) or cumplo treinta (I’m turning thirty).
- Pronouncing it koom-PLAY-nyos. Every vowel is sounded: koom-pleh-AH-nyohs.