Ways to say it
| German | IPA |
|---|---|
| frohe Weihnachten | /ˌfʁoːə ˈvaɪ̯naxtn̩/ |
| fröhliche Weihnachten | /ˈfʁøːlɪçə ˈvaɪ̯naxtn̩/ |
These phrases are used to express good wishes during the Christmas season. You can use them as standalone exclamations, much like in English or incorporate a person's name, such as Frohe Weihnachten, Anna! It is also common to combine the Christmas greeting with wishes for a prosperous new year, for example: Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr! If you specifically want to wish someone a happy Christmas Eve, you can use Frohe Weihnacht. Another alternative used during the broader holiday season is Frohe Festtage, which means happy holidays or merry festivities.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase frohe Weihnachten literally translates to happy Christmas.
Which one should you use?
Both frohe Weihnachten and fröhliche Weihnachten mean 'Merry Christmas', but frohe Weihnachten is more common in standard greetings.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Weihnachten (Christmas) is a noun, it must always be capitalized.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌfʁoːə ˈvaɪ̯naxtn̩/
Did you know?
- The word weihnachten written with a lowercase letter is a verb meaning 'to celebrate Christmas'. It was coined by the poet Theodor Storm in 1862.
- The adjective froh in frohe Weihnachten is a cognate of the English word 'frolic'.
- In some regions, people may avoid frohe Weihnachten and instead say Gesegnete Weihnachten, which means 'blessed Christmas'.
Examples in context
- Fröhliche Weihnachten, mein Schatz!Merry Christmas, my love!This example shows how to use the form fröhliche Weihnachten with a term of endearment.Tatoeba #1320239 by Vortarulo, translation #1320234 by Eldad
- Wir wünschen dir frohe Weihnachten!We wish you a Merry Christmas.This example shows the form frohe Weihnachten being used in a wish.Tatoeba #11810115 by Pfirsichbaeumchen, translation #10272163 by SabukHitam
- Tom wünschte mir frohe Weihnachten.Tom wished me Merry Christmas.This example shows the form frohe Weihnachten in the past tense.Tatoeba #13655708 by Naina, translation #13653889 by Ergulis
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Julian and Hannah are exchanging greetings on Christmas Eve.
- JulianFrohe Weihnachten, Hannah!Merry Christmas, Hannah!
- HannahDanke, Julian! Dir auch frohe Weihnachten.Thanks, Julian! Merry Christmas to you too.
- JulianVielen Dank!Thank you very much!
- HannahGenieße die Zeit!Enjoy the time!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry christmas” translations and entries frohe Weihnachten, fröhliche Weihnachten, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Weihnachten, weihnachten, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
