felicidades
/feliθiˈdades/
The English phrase 'congratulations' is translated into Spanish as felicidades or enhorabuena.
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| felicidades | /feliθiˈdades/ /felisiˈdades/ |
| enhorabuena | /enoɾaˈbwena/ |
These terms are used to express approbation.
What does it mean word for word?
The word felicidades is the plural form of felicidad (happiness), and literally translates to 'happinesses'.
Which one should you use?
While both mean congratulations, enhorabuena is more formal and is typically used for specific achievements or milestones, whereas felicidades is more common for general celebrations like birthdays.
How does it change in a sentence?
When saying 'congratulations on [something]', use the preposition por after felicidades (for example, Felicidades por tu boda).
How do you pronounce it?
/feliθiˈdades/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying felicidades before a baby is actually born is considered bad luck or premature.
- The word enhorabuena is a combination of en, hora and buena, literally meaning 'in a good hour'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, if you are at a birthday party, you might hear felicidades more often than the English 'happy birthday', as the focus is on the person's joy rather than the day itself.
Examples in context
- ¡Felicidades por la victoria!Congratulations on your victory!This sentence shows how to congratulate someone on a victory using felicidades.Tatoeba #1038649 by massama, translation #1039485 by GPHemsley
- Felicidades también a ustedes.Congratulations to you too.This sentence demonstrates returning a congratulatory remark to others using felicidades.Tatoeba #6857998 by arh, translation #8160935 by magnificentgoddess
- Felicidades por tu graduación.Congratulations on your graduation.This sentence shows how to congratulate someone on a graduation using felicidades.Tatoeba #8312747 by arh, translation #8311747 by CK
- ¡Felicidades por ganar el concurso! ¡Eres el mejor!Congratulations on winning the competition! You're the best!
- Felicidades por tu graduación. Todo el esfuerzo ha valido la pena. ¡Estoy muy orgulloso de ti!Congratulations on your graduation. All the effort has been worth it. I'm very proud of you!
- ¡Felicidades por tu nuevo cachorrito! ¡Es tan lindo!Congratulations on your new puppy! It's so cute!
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía is congratulating Mateo on winning a photography contest.
- Sofía¡Felicidades, Mateo, por ganar el concurso!Congratulations, Mateo, for winning the contest!
- MateoMuchas gracias, Sofía, eres muy amable.Thank you very much, Sofía, you are very kind.
- SofíaTu foto era realmente increíble.Your photo was truly incredible.
- MateoGracias, me esforcé mucho en ella.Thanks, I worked very hard on it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations and entries felicidades, enhorabuena, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries enhorabuena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
