feliz Navidad
/feˌliθ nabiˈdad/
feliz Navidad is the Spanish way to say merry Christmas.
This phrase is used to offer good wishes during the Christmas season. To convey a celebratory tone, it is common in Spanish to use exclamation marks at both the beginning and the end of the phrase: ¡Feliz Navidad! You can also combine it with other wishes, such as ¡Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo!, which means Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy) and Navidad (Christmas).
How does it change in a sentence?
When the phrase is used as an object in a sentence, such as "I wish you a Merry Christmas", the indefinite article una is placed before the phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ nabiˈdad/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the main celebration occurs on the night of December 24th with Nochebuena (the Good Night). Wishing someone feliz Navidad on this eve is often more central than the December 25th celebration.
- The word Navidad comes from the Latin word for 'birth', nātīvitātem. This makes the phrase literally mean 'happy birth' rather than 'merry Christmas'.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, people do not just say '¡Feliz Navidad!', but instead offer the phrase 'Felices fiestas' to cover the entire holiday season from Christmas through Three Kings Day.
Examples in context
- ¡Feliz Navidad a todos!Merry Christmas, everybody!This sentence shows how to use feliz Navidad to address a group.Tatoeba #9488910 by hayastan, translation #6556054 by BHO
- ¡Feliz Navidad, amor mío!Merry Christmas, my love!This sentence shows how to use feliz Navidad when addressing a loved one.Tatoeba #1320484 by Shishir, translation #1320234 by Eldad
- Te deseo una feliz Navidad.I wish you a Merry Christmas.This sentence shows how to use feliz Navidad as the object of a wish.Tatoeba #1508223 by marcelostockle, translation #62819 by lilygilder
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo meet at a holiday party.
- Elena¡Hola Mateo, feliz Navidad!Hello Mateo, merry Christmas!
- Mateo¡Gracias Elena! Igualmente para ti.Thanks Elena! Same to you.
- Elena¿Tienes planes para la cena?Do you have plans for dinner?
- MateoVoy a cenar con mi familia.I am going to have dinner with my family.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merry Christmas” translations and entries feliz Navidad, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Navidad, feliz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
