danke für die Geburtstagswünsche
The English phrase 'thank you for your birthday wishes' is expressed in German as danke für die Geburtstagswünsche.
This phrase is used to express gratitude to people who have sent greetings or kind words for one's birthday.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase danke für die Geburtstagswünsche literally translates to 'thanks for the birthday wishes'. The word Geburtstagswünsche is a compound noun made of Geburtstag (birthday) and Wünsche (wishes).
Which one should you use?
While danke für die Geburtstagswünsche is a standard way to say it, you can use other forms to change the tone. For example, Vielen Dank für die Geburtstagswünsche means 'Thank you very much for the birthday wishes' and Vielen lieben Dank für die Geburtstagswünsche means 'Thank you so much for the birthday wishes'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding vielen before Dank in the expression vielen Dank für die Geburtstagswünsche makes the expression of gratitude stronger and more polite.
Did you know?
- In Germany, it is considered bad luck to congratulate someone on their birthday or say alles Gute zum Geburtstag before the actual date.
- German compound nouns like Geburtstagswünsche can grow indefinitely by joining words together, a process much more common than in English.
- The word danke is actually a shortened version of the full sentence ich danke dir, meaning 'I thank you'.
Example conversation
Lukas calls Laura to congratulate her on her birthday.
- LauraHallo Lukas, danke für die Geburtstagswünsche!Hello Lukas, thank you for the birthday wishes!
- LukasGerne, Laura! Hat dein Tag gut begonnen?You're welcome, Laura! Did your day start well?
- LauraJa, es war sehr schön.Yes, it was very nice.
- LukasDas freut mich zu hören.I am happy to hear that.
