Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| feliz cumpleaños | /feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/ /feˌlis kumpleˈaɲos/ |
|
| feliz cumple | /feliθ kumple/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /felis kumple/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
familiar |
This phrase is used to offer good wishes to someone on their birthday. In written Spanish, exclamatory phrases like this should be preceded by an inverted exclamation mark (¡), such as ¡Feliz cumpleaños!
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy) and cumpleaños (birthday). The word cumpleaños is a compound of cumplir (to fulfill/complete) and años (years).
Which one should you use?
While feliz cumpleaños is the standard form, feliz cumple serves as a shortened, more casual version used among friends and family.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal way to say "Have a happy birthday", you can use Que tenga un feliz cumpleaños. The abbreviated feliz cumple is a familiar and informal option.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Chilean Spanish, ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! is the standard way of saying Happy Birthday and ¡Feliz Cumple! is an informal abbreviation.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because cumpleaños is a masculine noun, the masculine article un is used when the phrase is part of a larger sentence, such as un feliz cumpleaños (a happy birthday).
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
When do people say it?
Another way to express similar sentiments is to say ¡Muchas Felicidades en tu día!, which translates to "Many congratulations on your day!"
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, a tradition called la mordida involves pushing the birthday person's face into the cake after they take the first bite.
- In some regions, if you want to be extremely enthusiastic, you might say ¡Feliz cumpleañote! Adding the suffix '-ote' turns the birthday into a 'big birthday', often used for milestone ages.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the phrase ¡Feliz cumpleaños! is often accompanied by the singing of 'Las Mañanitas' rather than the 'Happy Birthday to You' melody used in English.
Examples in context
- Te deseo un feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a happy birthday.This sentence shows how to use the form feliz cumpleaños within a wish.Tatoeba #1187273 by Shishir, translation #897532 by CM
- Te deseo un retrasado feliz cumpleaños.Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday.This sentence uses the form feliz cumpleaños to express a belated wish.Tatoeba #5628428 by albrusgher, translation #3595119 by DostKaplan
- ¡Feliz cumple!Happy Birthday!This sentence demonstrates the informal use of the form feliz cumple.Tatoeba #3490513 by cueyayotl, translation #5229053 by jaxhere
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel greets Sofía at a small birthday party.
- Daniel¡Feliz cumpleaños, Sofía!Happy birthday, Sofía!
- Sofía¡Muchas gracias, Daniel!Thank you so much, Daniel!
- Daniel¿Te gusta tu regalo?Do you like your gift?
- SofíaSí, me encanta.Yes, I love it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
