How to Say "Happy Anniversary" in Italian

buon anniversario

/ˈbwɔn an.ni.verˈsa.rjo/word by word

buon anniversario is the Italian way to say "happy anniversary".

This phrase is a greeting used to congratulate someone on the anniversary of a special event, such as a wedding.

Which one should you use?

While buon anniversario is used for events like weddings or milestones, buon compleanno is used specifically for birthdays.

In the phrase buon anniversario, the adjective buon is the truncated form of buono, which is used before a masculine noun starting with a vowel.

It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.

The word auguri is the most versatile celebratory word in Italian. It can replace 'happy anniversary', 'congratulations' and 'best wishes' all in one.
The word anniversario comes from the Latin 'annus' for 'year' and 'vertere' meaning 'to turn', essentially describing the turning of a year.
Unlike English, where 'anniversary' is almost always positive, anniversario in Italian can be used for the date of a death, though it is more common to say anniversario della scomparsa.

Auguri per il nostro anniversario, amore mio! Grazie per un anno meraviglioso insieme
Happy anniversary, my love! Thank you for a wonderful year together.
Buon anniversario, tesoro!
Happy anniversary, honey!
Vi auguro un buon anniversario.
I wish you a happy anniversary.
Buon anniversario di matrimonio!
Happy wedding anniversary!

Francesco gives Martina a bouquet of flowers.

Francesco

Buon anniversario, Martina!
Happy anniversary, Martina!
Martina

Grazie mille, Francesco! Sono bellissimi.
Thank you so much, Francesco! They are beautiful.
Francesco

Li ho scelti apposta per te.
I chose them specially for you.
Martina

Sei davvero molto dolce.
You are really very sweet.

Sources

IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (buon, anniversario) and can differ in connected speech.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries anniversario, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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