Herzlichen Glückwunsch
Congratulations to you in German is Herzlichen Glückwunsch.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch is used to express praise or joy for someone's success or good fortune. While the English phrase 'congratulations to you' implies a direct address to a person, the German phrase is a complete, standalone exclamation that does not require a pronoun like dir or Ihnen to be grammatically complete.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'heartfelt congratulations', where herzlichen means heartfelt and Glückwunsch means congratulations.
How does it change in a sentence?
To congratulate someone on a specific occasion, use the preposition zu plus the dative case, such as Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag for a birthday.
Did you know?
- In Germany, it is often considered bad luck to say Herzlichen Glückwunsch for a birthday before the actual day arrives.
- In German, the word Glück means 'luck' or 'happiness', which is why a 'congratulation' is literally a 'wish for luck'.
- In some regions, people use the phrase Gratulation instead, which is a direct loanword from the Latin 'gratulatio' and sounds more formal than Glückwunsch.
Examples in context
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu Ihrer Beförderung!Congratulations on your promotion!
- Ich gratuliere Ihnen zum erfolgreichen Abschluss Ihres Projekts!I congratulate you on the successful completion of your project!
- Glückwunsch zur bestandenen Prüfung!Congratulations on passing your exam!
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Geburt eures Babys!Heartfelt congratulations on the birth of your baby!
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!Happy birthday!
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur bestandenen Prüfung!Congratulations on passing the exam!
- Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum neuen Job!Congratulations on the new job!
Example conversation
Felix and Julia are celebrating Julia's recent wedding anniversary.
- FelixHerzlichen Glückwunsch zum Jahrestag, Julia!Happy anniversary, Julia!
- JuliaVielen Dank, Felix!Thank you very much, Felix!
- FelixIch wünsche euch alles Gute.I wish you both all the best.
- JuliaDas ist sehr lieb von dir.That is very kind of you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Glückwunsch, CC BY-SA 4.0.
