feliz cumpleaños
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
To say happy birthday in Spanish, you use feliz cumpleaños. Wiktionary also lists feliz cumple.
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
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 |
The phrase is used to offer good wishes to someone on their birthday. It is common to use exclamation marks at both the beginning and the end of the phrase, such as ¡Feliz cumpleaños!, to express excitement.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy) and cumpleaños (birthday).
Which one should you use?
feliz cumple is a shortened and more casual version of feliz cumpleaños.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
feliz cumple is a more casual version used among friends and family.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word cumpleaños is a compound noun that is always used in its plural form, even when referring to a single birthday.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
Did you know?
- In Mexico, a birthday celebration often includes a mordida, where the birthday person's face is playfully pushed into the cake after the first bite.
- The word 'cumpleaños' literally translates to 'fulfills years', implying that a birthday is the act of completing or fulfilling a cycle of years.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, people do not just say 'feliz cumpleaños', they also sing 'Las Mañanitas', a traditional song that is often more important than the phrase itself.
Examples in context
- Te deseo un feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a happy birthday.This sentence shows how to use feliz cumpleaños to express a wish.Tatoeba #1187273 by Shishir, translation #897532 by CM
- Te deseo un retrasado feliz cumpleaños.Wishing you a belated Happy Birthday.This sentence shows how to use feliz cumpleaños to wish someone a belated happy birthday.Tatoeba #5628428 by albrusgher, translation #3595119 by DostKaplan
- ¡Feliz cumple!Happy Birthday!This sentence shows how to use feliz cumple as a short exclamation.Tatoeba #3490513 by cueyayotl, translation #5229053 by jaxhere
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo is visiting María at her house for her birthday.
- Mateo¡Feliz cumpleaños, María! ¿Te gusta tu regalo?Happy birthday, María! Do you like your gift?
- María¡Muchas gracias, Mateo! Me encanta.Thank you so much, Mateo! I love it.
- MateoEspero que tengas un día increíble.I hope you have an amazing day.
- MaríaGracias, eres muy amable.Thanks, you are very kind.
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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, feliz, feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
