la date de ton anniversaire
In French, the phrase for "the date of your birthday" is la date de ton anniversaire.
This phrase refers to the specific day and month on which a person was born. When stating a date in French, you typically mention the day before the month. Note that the names of months are not capitalized unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of la date (the date), de (of), ton (your – informal) and anniversaire (birthday/anniversary).
Which one should you use?
While la date de ton anniversaire is grammatically correct, in casual conversation, French speakers often omit la date de and simply say ton anniversaire.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a person formally or a group of people, replace ton with votre to get la date de votre anniversaire.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often confuse anniversaire (birthday) with date de naissance (date of birth). Use anniversaire for the celebration and date de naissance for official documents.
Did you know?
- In some French-speaking cultures, people celebrate their fête, which is the feast day of the saint they are named after, as a tradition distinct from ton anniversaire.
- The word anniversaire is built from the Latin 'annus' meaning 'year' and 'vertō' meaning 'to turn'. This paints a literal picture of a year 'turning' or 'revolving' around the sun.
- If you want to say you are 'turning' a certain age, French speakers often use the phrase avoir un an de plus, which literally translates to 'to have one year more'.
Examples in context
- Ma date de naissance est le 12 juin 1990.My date of birth is June 12, 1990.
- Je ne connais pas la date de ton anniversaire.I don't know the date of your birthday.
- Peux-tu me donner la date de ton anniversaire ?Can you give me the date of your birthday?
Example conversation
Two friends are filling out a registration form for a club.
- NathanManon, quelle est la date de ton anniversaire ?Manon, what is the date of your birthday?
- ManonC'est le douze mai.It is May twelfth.
- NathanC'est noté, merci !Got it, thanks!
- ManonDe rien, Nathan.You're welcome, Nathan.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries anniversaire, date, de, la, ton, CC BY-SA 4.0.
