Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| feliz cumpleaños | /feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/ /feˌlis kumpleˈaɲos/ |
|
| feliz cumple | /feliθ kumple/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /felis kumple/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
familiar |
Feliz cumpleaños is the most common and straightforward way to wish someone a happy birthday. You may also use more formal variations such as Le deseo un feliz cumpleaños (I wish you a happy birthday) or Que tenga un excelente cumpleaños (May you have an excellent birthday).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy) and cumpleaños (birthday).
Which one should you use?
While feliz cumpleaños is the standard form, feliz cumple is a shortened, more casual version used among friends and family.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Feliz cumple is a familiar, informal version used with those close to you. For formal contexts, you might use phrases like Le deseo un feliz cumpleaños or Que tenga un excelente cumpleaños.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, people commonly use the phrase feliz cumple. In Spain, people sometimes add Que los cumplas feliz to the greeting, which translates to 'May you have many more birthdays to come'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because cumpleaños is a masculine noun, the masculine article un is used when saying 'a happy birthday', such as in un feliz cumpleaños. In written Spanish, it is standard to use opening exclamation marks (¡) at the beginning of the phrase, such as ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
When do people say it?
In informal settings, you might also hear the expression Que te la pases genial en tu día, which means 'Have a great time on your day'.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, a common custom involving birthdays is 'la mordida', where guests push the birthday person's face into the cake.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, instead of singing a melody like the English 'Happy Birthday to You', people sing Las Mañanitas, a traditional Mexican song that celebrates the person's existence rather than just their age.
- The word cumpleaños is a verb-object compound that literally means 'year-fulfiller'.
Examples in context
- Te deseo un feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a happy birthday.This sentence shows how to use the phrase within a wish.Tatoeba #1187273 by Shishir, translation #897532 by CM
- Te deseo un retrasado feliz cumpleaños.Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday.This sentence demonstrates how to wish someone a belated happy birthday using the phrase.Tatoeba #5628428 by albrusgher, translation #3595119 by DostKaplan
- ¡Feliz cumple!Happy Birthday!This sentence shows the informal version of the phrase being used as an exclamation.Tatoeba #3490513 by cueyayotl, translation #5229053 by jaxhere
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que este día esté lleno de amor y alegríaHappy birthday! May this day be filled with love and joy
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo sees Elena at a cafe on her birthday.
- Mateo¡Feliz cumpleaños, Elena!Happy birthday, Elena!
- Elena¡Muchas gracias, Mateo!Thank you very much, Mateo!
- MateoEspero que tengas un gran día.I hope you have a great day.
- ElenaGracias por el detalle.Thanks for the kind thought.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, feliz, feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
