son anniversaire
In French, 'her birthday' is said as son anniversaire.
The phrase is used to refer to the anniversary of the day a female person was born.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the possessive adjective son (his/her) and the noun anniversaire (anniversary/birthday).
How does it change in a sentence?
In French, the possessive adjective son agrees with the gender of the noun anniversaire (masculine), not the gender of the person who owns it. Therefore, son anniversaire can mean both 'his birthday' and 'her birthday'.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use sa anniversaire for 'her' because the person is female, but in French, you must use son because anniversaire is a masculine noun.
Did you know?
- Because anniversaire begins with a vowel, the masculine son is mandatory even if the noun were feminine, to avoid a clash of vowel sounds.
- While English uses 'birthday' specifically for birth, anniversaire is the general word for any anniversary. To specify a birth date, French speakers often say anniversaire de naissance.
- The phrase Joyeux anniversaire is the standard greeting, but in Quebec, people often say Bon anniversaire or Bonne fête.
Examples in context
- Il va rater son anniversaire.He's gonna miss her birthday.This sentence shows how to use son anniversaire in a context of missing an event.Tatoeba #12184821 by always, translation #8405707 by Amastan
- Demain a lieu son anniversaire.Tomorrow is her birthday.This sentence uses son anniversaire to state when a birthday takes place.Tatoeba #565300 by Archibald, translation #323314 by CK
- C'est bientôt son anniversaire.It's her birthday soon.This sentence uses son anniversaire to indicate that a birthday is approaching.Tatoeba #2948609 by Blabla, translation #12420052 by sundown
- J'aimerais lui souhaiter un joyeux anniversaire.I would like to wish her a happy birthday.
- Nous organisons la fête de son anniversaire.We are organizing her birthday party.
- N'oublions pas de lui souhaiter un joyeux anniv!Let's not forget to wish her a happy bday!
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a girl named Julie.
- ManonTu te souviens de son anniversaire ?Do you remember her birthday?
- LucasNon, c'est quand déjà ?No, when is it again?
- ManonC'est samedi prochain.It is next Saturday.
- LucasAh, je dois lui acheter un cadeau.Ah, I must buy her a gift.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
