feliz Navidad
/feˌliθ nabiˈdad/
feliz Navidad is the Spanish phrase for merry christmas.
feliz Navidad is used to express good wishes during the Christmas season. It is common to use exclamation marks at both the beginning and the end of the phrase, as in ¡Feliz Navidad! to express the greeting.
Meaning: good wishes at Christmas time (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of feliz (happy) and Navidad (Christmas).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Uruguay, an informal way to say "May you have a Christmas full of joy and happiness" is Que tengas una Navidad llena de alegría y felicidad.
How does it change in a sentence?
When used as a direct object in a sentence, such as in the phrase "I wish you a merry Christmas", the indefinite article una is used before the phrase: una feliz Navidad.
How do you pronounce it?
/feˌliθ nabiˈdad/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the main celebration occurs on the evening of December 24 for Nochebuena (Good Night). While feliz Navidad is used then, the focus is often on the Christmas Eve feast rather than the day itself.
- In Spain, the greeting feliz Navidad is often accompanied by a 'beso' or two, which are light kisses on the cheeks. This gesture is the standard social greeting regardless of the holiday.
- The word Navidad shares its roots with the English word 'native', as both stem from the Latin concept of being born.
Examples in context
- ¡Feliz Navidad a todos!Merry Christmas, everybody!This sentence is useful for wishing merry christmas to a group of people using feliz Navidad.Tatoeba #9488910 by hayastan, translation #6556054 by BHO
- ¡Feliz Navidad, amor mío!Merry Christmas, my love!This sentence is useful for wishing merry christmas to a loved one using feliz Navidad.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 a direct object in a sentence.Tatoeba #1508223 by marcelostockle, translation #62819 by lilygilder
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and Elena meet at a holiday party.
- Mateo¡Hola Elena, feliz Navidad!Hello Elena, merry Christmas!
- Elena¡Muchas gracias, Mateo! Igualmente para ti.Thank you very much, Mateo! The same to you.
- Mateo¿Vas a pasar la noche con tu familia?Are you going to spend the night with your family?
- ElenaSí, nos vemos mañana en la cena.Yes, see you tomorrow at dinner.
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.
