feliz cumpleaños, hermano
/feˈliθ kumpleˈaɲos eɾˈmano/word by word
The English phrase "happy birthday brother" is translated into Spanish as feliz cumpleaños, hermano.
This phrase is used as a greeting to wish a male sibling a happy birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy), cumpleaños (birthday) and hermano (brother).
Which one should you use?
You may also see the form ¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermano! in written Spanish, where opening exclamation marks (¡) are used to match the closing ones (!).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more colloquial or informal tone, you can use feliz cumple, hermano, which is a common shortened way to say "happy b-day, bro".
How does it change in a sentence?
To wish a female sibling a happy birthday, change hermano to hermana.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˈliθ kumpleˈaɲos eɾˈmano/
Did you know?
- Depending on the country, a birthday celebration for a hermano might include the tradition of 'mordida', where the birthday person's face is pushed into the cake.
- Although hermano means 'brother', it shares an unexpected ancestral link with the English word 'germane'. Both stem from the Latin root meaning 'of the same blood' or 'related'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it is common to sing 'Las Mañanitas' instead of the traditional 'Happy Birthday' melody during a celebration.
Examples in context
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermanito!Happy birthday, little brother!
- Espero que pases un cumpleaños increíble, hermano querido.I hope you have an amazing birthday, dear brother.
- Feliz cumple, bro. ¡Que la pases genial!Happy bday, bro. Have a great time!
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños, carnal!Happy birthday, bro!
- Te deseo un feliz cumpleaños, hermano.I wish you a happy birthday, brother.
Example conversation
Lucía gives a gift to her brother Alejandro at his party.
- Lucía¡Feliz cumpleaños, hermano!Happy birthday, brother!
- Alejandro¡Muchas gracias, Lucía!Thank you very much, Lucía!
- LucíaEspero que te guste el regalo.I hope you like the gift.
- AlejandroEs increíble, gracias.It is amazing, thanks.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (feliz, cumpleaños, hermano) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, feliz, hermano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
