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 |
The phrase feliz cumpleaños is the most commonly used way to wish someone a happy birthday in Spanish. For more informal ways to express birthday wishes, you might say ¡Muchas felicidades en tu cumpleaños! to mean many congratulations on your birthday or Que cumplas muchos más to mean may you have many more birthdays to come.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase feliz cumpleaños 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 and more casual version used among friends and family.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
feliz cumple is a familiar form used in casual settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many Latin American countries, you may hear the word cumpleaños shortened to cumple, resulting in the phrase feliz cumple. In Mexico, it is common to use ¡Felicidades en tu día! to wish someone a happy birthday. In Spain, the phrase ¡Muchas felicidades! is used informally to mean many congratulations and ¡Disfruta de tu día! can be used informally to mean enjoy your day.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word cumpleaños is a compound noun that is always masculine and ends in -s, even when referring to a single birthday.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
Did you know?
- In Mexico, it is a common birthday tradition called 'la mordida' to push the birthday person's face into the cake after they take their first bite.
- In some Latin American cultures, it is traditional to sing 'Las Mañanitas' instead of, or in addition to, the standard 'Happy Birthday' song.
- While English speakers usually say 'happy birthday' as a greeting, Spanish speakers often use ¡Felicidades!, which is the same word used to congratulate someone on a wedding or a promotion.
Examples in context
- Te deseo un feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a happy birthday.This sentence shows how to use the form feliz cumpleaños to wish someone a happy birthday.Tatoeba #1187273 by Shishir, translation #897532 by CM
- Te deseo un retrasado feliz cumpleaños.Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday.This sentence demonstrates using feliz cumpleaños to wish someone a belated happy birthday.Tatoeba #5628428 by albrusgher, translation #3595119 by DostKaplan
- ¡Feliz cumple!Happy Birthday!This sentence shows the use of the informal form feliz cumple.Tatoeba #3490513 by cueyayotl, translation #5229053 by jaxhere
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños, María!Happy birthday, Maria!
- Que todos tus sueños se hagan realidad en este nuevo año de vidaMay all your dreams come true in this new year of life
- Espero que disfrutes de este día al máximo y que te rodees de amor y alegríaI hope you enjoy this day to the fullest and surround yourself with love and happiness
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are at a small restaurant for Daniel's birthday.
- María¡Feliz cumpleaños, Daniel!Happy birthday, Daniel!
- DanielMuchas gracias, María.Thank you very much, María.
- MaríaEspero que tengas un día increíble.I hope you have an incredible day.
- DanielGracias, estoy muy contento.Thanks, I am very happy.
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.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
