Joyeux anniversaire
/ʒwa.jø.z‿a.ni.vɛʁ.sɛʁ/
In French, happy birthday to a friend is Joyeux anniversaire.
Joyeux anniversaire is the basic and most commonly used way to say "happy birthday" in French. Other ways to express birthday wishes include Je te souhaite un joyeux anniversaire (I wish you a happy birthday), Joyeux anniversaire, cher/chère ami(e) (happy birthday, dear friend) and Passe une excellente journée d'anniversaire (have an excellent birthday). You might also say Que tous tes vœux se réalisent to mean "may all your wishes come true". To specifically address a friend, you can add mon ami to the end for a male friend or mon amie for a female friend.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Joyeux anniversaire is composed of joyeux (joyful) and anniversaire (anniversary/birthday).
How does it change in a sentence?
While Joyeux anniversaire is the standard phrase, Bon anniversaire is a very common and grammatically correct alternative used to mean the same thing.
Did you know?
- In many French-speaking parts of Africa, such as Senegal, it is more common to wish someone a 'happy feast day' rather than a birthday if they celebrate a saint's day.
- In Quebec, you might occasionally hear the phrase Bonne fête used to mean 'Happy Birthday', though this can be confusing for Europeans.
- The word anniversaire literally describes the movement of the year, as it comes from the Latin for 'to turn' or 'to revolve' around the sun.
Examples in context
- Joyeux anniversaire à mon meilleur ami.Happy birthday to my best friend.
- Joyeux anniversaire à toi, mon cher ami.Happy birthday to you, my dear friend.
Example conversation
Emma greets Lucas at his birthday party.
- EmmaJoyeux anniversaire, Lucas !Happy birthday, Lucas!
- LucasMerci beaucoup, Emma.Thank you very much, Emma.
- EmmaTu vas passer une bonne journée ?Are you going to have a good day?
- LucasOui, je vais fêter ça avec ma famille.Yes, I am going to celebrate it with my family.
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry joyeux anniversaire.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anniversaire, joyeux, CC BY-SA 4.0.
