sretan rođendan
Croatian, Latin
The English phrase "happy birthday" is expressed in Croatian as sretan rođendan. Wiktionary also lists srećan rođendan.
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| sretan rođendan | Croatian, Latin |
| srećan rođendan | Bosnian, Latin, Serbian |
The phrase is used to offer good wishes to someone celebrating their birthday. When writing this wish, it is common to use an exclamation mark to convey the celebratory nature of the wish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective sretan (happy) and the noun rođendan (birthday).
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form sretan rođendan is used in Croatian, while the form srećan rođendan is used in Bosnian and Serbian.
How does it change in a sentence?
If you wish to say "Happy birthday to you!", you can say Sretan ti rođendan! If you are using a preposition such as za (for) to say "For a happy birthday", the phrase remains in the accusative case as Za sretan rođendan.
Did you know?
- While 'sretan' means 'happy', in a different context, it can also be used to describe someone who is 'lucky' or 'fortunate' in a game of chance.
- When singing the birthday song, Croatians often use the melody of the English version but replace the lyrics with sretan rođendan ti.
- While 'sretan rođendan' is the standard written wish, in casual speech, people often skip the adjective entirely and simply say 'Sve najbolje!' which means 'All the best!'
Examples in context
- Sretan rođendan, Muiriel!Happy birthday, Muiriel!This example shows how to address a specific person using the form sretan rođendan.Tatoeba #1100697 by vlado, translation #355041 by human600
- Sretan rođendan!Happy birthday!This example shows the standalone use of the form sretan rođendan.Tatoeba #4833948 by Ricardo14, translation #453219 by CM
- Sretan rođendan gospodine Ivanoviću! Želim vam obilje ljubavi i sreće u novoj godini života.Happy birthday, Mr. Ivanović! I wish you abundant love and happiness in the new year of your life.
- Sretan rođendan, prijatelju moj! Želim ti prekrasan dan ispunjen ljubavlju i veseljem.Happy birthday, my friend! I wish you a wonderful day filled with love and joy.
Example conversation
Ana calls Ivan to congratulate him on his birthday.
- AnaSretan rođendan, Ivane!Happy birthday, Ivan!
- IvanHvala ti puno, Ana.Thank you very much, Ana.
- AnaKako planiraš proslaviti?How do you plan to celebrate?
- IvanIdem na večeru s prijateljima.I am going to dinner with friends.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries sretan rođendan, srećan rođendan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
