你的生日是什么时候？
The English phrase 'when is your birthday?' can be translated into Chinese as 你的生日是什么时候？
The expression 你的生日是什么时候？ is the standard way to ask 'When is your birthday?' in Chinese.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你的生日是什么时候？ literally translates to 'your birthday is what time?'
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To be more polite and respectful, suitable for elders or superiors, replace 你 with 您 to say 您的生日是什么时候？ Conversely, 你生日是几号？ and 你啥时候过生日？ are informal or casual ways to ask the question.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, while 什么时候 means 'when', it is very common to use 几月几号, meaning 'which month which day', to ask for a specific date like a birthday, as seen in the form 你的生日是几月几号？ To answer the question, you replace the possessive 你的 (your) with 我的 (my) to say 我的生日是… followed by the date.
Did you know?
- In China, some people may hesitate to answer 你的生日是什么时候？ if they follow the traditional lunar calendar. They might have two birthdays: one based on the lunar date and one based on the Gregorian calendar.
- If you are celebrating a birthday in a formal setting, you might hear the term 寿 (shòu) used in relation to an elder's birthday, which literally means 'longevity'.
- In traditional Chinese culture, knowing someone's birthday is crucial for calculating their 'Ba Zi', or 'Four Pillars of Destiny', which uses the exact birth time to predict fortune.
Examples in context
- 你的生日是什么时候？Nǐ de shēngrì shì shénme shíhou?When is your birthday?
- 对了，你的生日是什么时候？Duìle, nǐ de shēngrì shì shénme shíhou?By the way, when is your birthday?
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting about upcoming celebrations.
- 志强 Zhiqiang晓雯，你的生日是什么时候？Xiǎowén, nǐ de shēngrì shì shénme shíhou?Xiaowen, when is your birthday?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我的生日是十月五日。Wǒ de shēngrì shì shí yuè wǔ rì.My birthday is October 5th.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那我也要去参加你的生日派对。Nà wǒ yě yào qù cānjiā nǐ de shēngrì pàiduì.Then I will go to your birthday party too.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢你，志强！Xièxie nǐ, Zhìqiáng!Thank you, Zhiqiang!
