que pases un gran cumpleaños
/ke pases un ɡɾan kumpleaɲos/from spelling rules
To say "have a great birthday" in Spanish, use que pases un gran cumpleaños.
This phrase is a friendly wish used to tell someone to enjoy their birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "that you spend a great birthday" because it uses the verb pasar instead of tener (to have).
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on who you are addressing. Use que pases un gran cumpleaños for a single person you know well, and use que pasen un gran cumpleaños when wishing a great birthday to a group of people.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the subjunctive mood to express a wish. The specific verb form changes to match the subject: pases is used for the informal tú form, pase is used for the formal usted form and pasen is used for the plural form.
How do you pronounce it?
/ke pases un ɡɾan kumpleaɲos/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the birthday person is often treated to a meal or cake by their guests, rather than paying for the celebration themselves.
- The word cumpleaños is a compound of the verb cumplir and the noun años, literally translating to 'years fulfiller'.
- The English word 'who' is a distant relative of the que used in this birthday wish, as both share a common Proto-Indo-European ancestor.
Examples in context
- ¡Que tenga un excelente cumpleaños!Have an excellent birthday!
- Le deseo un feliz cumpleaños.I wish you a happy birthday
- ¡Que tengas un cumpleaños genial!Have an awesome birthday!
- ¡Juan, que tengas un cumpleaños genial!Juan, have an awesome birthday!
- Espero que pases un gran cumpleaños con tu familia.I hope you have a great birthday with your family.
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are talking on the phone.
- Elena¡Hola Javier! ¡Que pases un gran cumpleaños!Hi Javier! Have a great birthday!
- Javier¡Muchas gracias, Elena! Eres muy amable.Thank you so much, Elena! You are very kind.
- Elena¿Vas a celebrar con tus amigos?Are you going to celebrate with your friends?
- JavierSí, vamos a cenar esta noche.Yes, we are going out for dinner tonight.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, gran, que, un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
