tarjeta de cumpleaños
/taɾxeta de kumpleaɲos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "birthday card" is translated into Spanish as tarjeta de cumpleaños.
tarjeta de cumpleaños is the standard way to refer to a birthday card. You may also encounter felicitación de cumpleaños, which can refer to a birthday greeting card or a congratulatory message.
Meaning: greeting card (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tarjeta (card) and de cumpleaños (of birthday).
Which one should you use?
While tarjeta de cumpleaños is the standard form, you might see tarjeta de felicitación por el cumpleaños used for a more elaborate expression.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, it is common to use both the standard tarjeta de cumpleaños and the informal tarjeta de cumple.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, you pluralize the noun tarjeta to tarjetas while keeping de cumpleaños unchanged, resulting in tarjetas de cumpleaños.
How do you pronounce it?
/taɾxeta de kumpleaɲos/
Did you know?
- The word tarjeta shares an unexpected history with the English word 'target'. It originally referred to a small shield or plate, which evolved into the meaning of a small piece of stiff paper.
- The Spanish word for birthday, cumpleaños, is a compound of the verb cumplir, meaning 'to fulfill' or 'to complete', and años, meaning 'years'. It literally translates to 'year-fulfiller'.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, the gesture of giving a tarjeta de cumpleaños is often accompanied by the specific phrase ¡Que cumplas muchos más!, wishing the person many more years of life.
Examples in context
- Él me envió una tarjeta de cumpleaños.He sent me a birthday card.Tatoeba #1585099 by marcelostockle, translation #284002 by CK
- George me envió una tarjeta de cumpleaños.George sent me a birthday card.This sentence shows tarjeta de cumpleaños being used with a specific name.Tatoeba #1272523 by marcelostockle, translation #52952 by CN
- Tom le mandó una tarjeta de cumpleaños a Mary.Tom sent Mary a birthday card.This sentence demonstrates how to use tarjeta de cumpleaños when directing the card to a specific person.Tatoeba #2009260 by hayastan, translation #1867916 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are at a store buying a gift.
- SofíaNecesito comprar una tarjeta de cumpleaños.I need to buy a birthday card.
- MateoHay algunas muy bonitas aquí.There are some very pretty ones here.
- Sofía¿Cuál tarjeta de cumpleaños te gusta más?Which birthday card do you like more?
- MateoMe gusta la azul, Sofía.I like the blue one, Sofía.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, de, tarjeta, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
