feliz cumpleaños
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
To say "happy birthday to someone" in Spanish, use feliz cumpleaños.
Feliz cumpleaños is a neutral way to express "Happy Birthday" in Spanish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy) and cumpleaños (birthday).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, feliz cumpleaños is the most common and standard way to say "Happy Birthday", though you can also say ¡Felicidades en tu día! (Congratulations on your day!). In Spain, a traditional wish is Que cumplas muchos más y que lo celebres con alegría (May you have many more birthdays and celebrate them with joy).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for birthday, cumpleaños, is a compound noun that is always used in its plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ kumpleˈaɲos/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, a traditional birthday custom involves 'la mordida', where the birthday person's face is pushed into the cake after they take a first bite.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, people often sing 'Las Mañanitas' instead of the English 'Happy Birthday' melody to celebrate the occasion.
- The word cumpleaños is a verb-object compound that literally means 'year-fulfiller'.
Examples in context
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños, amigo!Happy birthday, friend!
- Te deseo un muy feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a very happy birthday.
- ¡Feliz cumpleaños a toda la familia!Happy birthday to the whole family!
Example conversation
Javier greets Elena at a birthday party.
- Javier¡Hola Elena, feliz cumpleaños!Hello Elena, happy birthday!
- Elena¡Muchas gracias, Javier!Thank you so much, Javier!
- Javier¿Te gusta tu regalo?Do you like your gift?
- ElenaSí, es un detalle muy bonito.Yes, it is a very lovely gesture.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, feliz, feliz cumpleaños, CC BY-SA 4.0.
