la mulți ani
/la ˌmult͡sʲ ˈanʲ/
The Romanian phrase for happy anniversary is la mulți ani.
la mulți ani is used to congratulate someone on an anniversary, but it is also the standard way to say Happy Birthday in Romanian.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to to many years.
How do you pronounce it?
/la ˌmultsʲ ˈanʲ/
Did you know?
- The phrase is a direct imitation of a Byzantine Greek expression, rather than being an ancient, native Romanian construction.
- In Romania, la mulți ani is often sung as a celebratory song with a specific melody, rather than just spoken as a greeting.
- In Romanian, the phrase functions as a toast, meaning it is often said while raising a glass, much like 'cheers' in English.
Examples in context
- Felicitări cu Ocazia Aniversării!On behalf of the entire team, we congratulate you on your 25th wedding anniversary!
- La mulți ani, dragă soție!Happy anniversary, dear wife!
Example conversation
Maria and Alexandru are celebrating their wedding anniversary at a restaurant.
- MariaLa mulți ani, dragul meu soț!Happy anniversary, my dear husband!
- AlexandruLa mulți ani și nouă, Maria!Happy anniversary to us too, Maria!
- MariaEști cel mai bun soț.You are the best husband.
- AlexandruTe iubesc foarte mult.I love you very much.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry la mulți ani, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries la, la mulți ani, CC BY-SA 4.0.
