felicitaciones por
/feliθitaθjones poɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "congratulations for" is translated into Spanish as felicitaciones por.
This phrase is used to praise someone for a specific achievement or a happy event. While you can use the full phrase felicitaciones por to specify the reason for your praise, the single word ¡Felicidades! is the most common way to say "Congratulations!" as a standalone exclamation.
Which one should you use?
Felicitaciones is often used for specific achievements or professional milestones. In contrast, felicidades is more frequently used for personal celebrations like birthdays or anniversaries. If you want to convey a sense of admiration for an accomplishment, you can also use ¡Enhorabuena!
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, people commonly use ¡Felicitaciones! to congratulate someone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The preposition por is used in this phrase to indicate the reason or cause for the congratulations.
How do you pronounce it?
/feliθitaθjones poɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use felicitaciones de instead of felicitaciones por when translating "congratulations for".
Did you know?
- The word enhorabuena comes from the phrase en hora buena, which means 'in a good hour'. It implies that the event happened at the perfect moment or under a lucky star.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying felicidades to someone who is not yet married or whose partner is not officially engaged can be seen as a playful or accidental hint that they should get married.
- While felicitaciones refers to the act of congratulating, the root felicidad means 'happiness'. This means that when you offer felicitaciones, you are literally wishing the other person a state of happiness.
Examples in context
- Muchas felicitaciones por tu nuevo trabajo.Many congratulations on your new job.
- Felicitaciones por haber ganado el primer premio.Congratulations on having won the first prize.
- Mis felicitaciones por tu excelente presentación.My congratulations on your excellent presentation.
Example conversation
Lucía is greeting Daniel at a celebratory dinner.
- Lucía¡Felicitaciones por tu graduación, Daniel!Congratulations on your graduation, Daniel!
- DanielMuchas gracias, Lucía. Estoy muy feliz.Thank you very much, Lucía. I am very happy.
- LucíaTe lo mereces por todo tu esfuerzo.You deserve it for all your effort.
- DanielEres muy amable, gracias de nuevo.You are very kind, thanks again.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
