χρόνια πολλά
chrónia pollá/ˈxɾoɲa poˈla/neuter, plural
In Greek, the phrase for "happy birthday" is χρόνια πολλά (chrónia pollá). Wiktionary also lists να τα εκατοστήσεις (na ta ekatostíseis) and να τα εκατοστίσεις (na ta ekatostíseis).
Meaning: good wishes for a birthday (intj)
Ways to say it
| Greek | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| χρόνια πολλά | chrónia pollá | /ˈxɾoɲa poˈla/ | neuter, plural |
| να τα εκατοστήσεις | na ta ekatostíseis | ||
| να τα εκατοστίσεις | na ta ekatostíseis |
χρόνια πολλά is a general greeting used to say "happy birthday," but it is also used for other celebrations such as name days and New Year's.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase χρόνια πολλά literally translates to "many years."
Which one should you use?
While χρόνια πολλά is a general greeting, να τα εκατοστήσεις is a more specific wish for the person to live to one hundred years old.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase να τα εκατοστήσεις is in the second person singular, which is used when speaking to one person informally.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is chrónia pollá and the IPA is /ˈxɾoɲa poˈla/.
When do people say it?
The standard response to receiving birthday wishes in Greek is Ευχαριστώ (Efcharistó), which means "Thank you."
Did you know?
- The word χρόνος in the phrase χρόνια πολλά is the direct linguistic relative of the English word 'chronology'.
- When wishing someone να τα εκατοστήσεις, Greeks are specifically wishing the person reaches the age of 100, rather than just a general long life.
- If you want to wish someone a happy birthday during a religious feast day, you can use the exact same phrase, χρόνια πολλά. It is the standard greeting for 'name days' as well.
Examples in context
- Χρόνια Πολλά, κύριε Παπαδόπουλε.Happy birthday, Mr. Papadopoulos.
- Χρόνια Πολλά, κυρία Μαρία.Happy birthday, Mrs. Maria.
- Χρόνια Πολλά και Καλά, Νίκο μου.Happy birthday, my dear Niko.
- Χρόνια Πολλά και Καλά, Άννα.Happy birthday, Anna.
- Χρόνια πολλά σε εσένα!Chrónia pollá se eséna!Happy birthday to you!
- Χρόνια πολλά στον καλύτερό μου φίλο.Chrónia pollá ston kalitéro mou fílo.Happy birthday to my best friend.
Example conversation
Dimitris meets Kyriaki at a birthday party.
- Δημήτρης DimitrisΧρόνια πολλά, Κυριακή!Chrónia pollá, Kyriakí!Happy birthday, Kyriaki!
- Κυριακή KyriakiΕυχαριστώ πολύ, Δημήτρη!Efcharistó polý, Dimítri!Thank you very much, Dimitris!
- Δημήτρης DimitrisΣου έφερα ένα δώρο.Sou éfera éna dóro.I brought you a gift.
- Κυριακή KyriakiΤι γλυκός είσαι!Ti glykós eísai!How sweet you are!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “happy birthday” translations and entries χρόνια πολλά, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries να, τα, χρόνια, χρόνια πολλά, CC BY-SA 4.0.
