feliz cumpleaños
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
To say "enjoy your birthday" in Spanish, you can use feliz cumpleaños.
The primary way to wish someone a happy birthday is to say feliz cumpleaños. In many Spanish-speaking contexts, people also use the shorthand ¡Felicidades! to wish someone a happy birthday or to congratulate them on the occasion.
Which one should you use?
While feliz cumpleaños is the standard greeting, you may use other phrases depending on the level of formality. For a more formal tone, you can say Que pase un magnífico cumpleaños (May you have a magnificent birthday). For informal situations, you might say Que te la pases increíble en tu cumpleaños (Have an incredible time on your birthday), Espero que la pases genial en tu día (I hope you have a great time on your special day) or ¡Disfruta al máximo tu cumpleaños! (Enjoy your birthday to the fullest).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word cumpleaños is a noun that stays the same in both singular and plural forms. Only the article changes (for example, el cumpleaños vs.)
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, people sing Las Mañanitas instead of or in addition to the standard 'Happy Birthday' song.
- The term cumpleaños literally translates to 'year-fulfiller'. It describes the event as the moment where a person fulfills or completes a specific number of years of life.
- If you use the phrase ¡Felicidades!, you are technically saying 'congratulations' rather than 'happy birthday', but it is perfectly natural in a celebratory context.
Examples in context
- Estimada Sra. Pérez, espero que pase un magnífico cumpleaños y que todos sus deseos se hagan realidad.Dear Mrs. Pérez, I hope you have a magnificent birthday, and may all your wishes come true.
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños, María! Que te la pases increíble en tu cumpleaños. Te quiero mucho.Happy birthday, María! Have an incredible time on your birthday. I love you very much.
- Hermano, feliz cumpleaños. Espero que la pases genial en tu día y que todos tus deseos se hagan realidad.Brother, happy birthday. I hope you have a great time on your special day, and may all your wishes come true.
- Amiga, ¡feliz cumpleaños! ¡Disfruta al máximo tu cumpleaños y que todos tus sueños se hagan realidad!Friend, happy birthday! Enjoy your birthday to the fullest, and may all your dreams come true.
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños, que lo pases muy bien!Happy birthday, have a great time!
- Te deseo un muy feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a very happy birthday.
- ¡Muchas felicidades y feliz cumpleaños!Many congratulations and happy birthday!
Example conversation
Lucía is calling Alejandro to congratulate him on his special day.
- LucíaHola Alejandro, ¡feliz cumpleaños!Hello Alejandro, happy birthday!
- AlejandroMuchas gracias, Lucía.Thank you very much, Lucía.
- LucíaEspero que tengas un día increíble.I hope you have an incredible day.
- AlejandroGracias por acordarte de mí.Thanks for remembering me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, feliz, feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0.
