mein Geburtstag
/maɪ̯n ɡəˈbuːɐ̯t͡sˌtaːk/word by word
The English phrase "my birthday" is translated into German as mein Geburtstag.
mein Geburtstag is used to refer to the anniversary of the day on which a person was born.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of the phrase changes depending on its grammatical role in a sentence. When "my birthday" is the direct object, the masculine possessive pronoun changes to meinen Geburtstag (accusative case). If you are using the phrase in the genitive case to indicate possession or relation, it becomes meines Geburtstages.
How do you pronounce it?
/maɪ̯n ɡəˈbuːɐ̯tsˌtaːk/
When do people say it?
When someone has a birthday, a common thing to say is Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!, which means "Happy birthday!"
Did you know?
- In Germany, it is considered extremely bad luck to wish someone Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! before their actual birthday has arrived.
- While mein Geburtstag is the standard term, Germans often use the word Geburtstagskind to refer to the person whose birthday it is, literally calling them the 'birthday child' regardless of their age.
- In many German workplaces, the person celebrating their Geburtstag is expected to bring cake or snacks for their colleagues, rather than the colleagues providing a treat for them.
Examples in context
- Bald ist mein Geburtstag.It's my birthday soon.Tatoeba #1301655 by Tlustulimu, translation #2128164 by donkirkby
- Mein Geburtstag ist heute.My birthday is today.Tatoeba #8244477 by Luiaard, translation #6273251 by CK
- Mein Geburtstag rückt näher.My birthday approaches.Tatoeba #808565 by BraveSentry, translation #808500 by Alkrasnov
- Ich lade Sie ein, mit mir meinen Geburtstag zu feiern.I invite you to celebrate my birthday with me.
- Ich wünsche Ihnen einen wundervollen Geburtstag.I wish you a wonderful birthday.
- 32 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hannah and Julian are talking about upcoming plans.
- HannahWann ist mein Geburtstag eigentlich genau?When exactly is my birthday, actually?
- JulianDein Geburtstag ist am zehnten Mai.Your birthday is on May tenth.
- HannahOh, mein Geburtstag kommt also schnell!Oh, so my birthday is coming quickly!
- JulianJa, wir müssen bald feiern.Yes, we have to celebrate soon.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (mein, Geburtstag) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
