Which one should you use?
While quando é o seu aniversário? is a standard way to ask, you can use quando é o teu aniversário? to make the question more informal. In many regions of both Brazil and Portugal, using teu instead of seu signals a closer or more casual relationship.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Quando é o seu aniversário? is the most widely used phrase in Brazil. In Portugal, the phrase Quando fazes anos? is commonly used to ask when someone is having their birthday.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase quando é o seu aniversário? uses the possessive pronoun seu to mean "your", which is the standard way to provide a neutral or polite address.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈɛ ˈɔ sew a.ni.veʁˈsa.ɾju/. It consists of 8 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
When do people say it?
When someone asks you this, a natural way to respond is to use the structure O meu aniversário é no dia [month] [day]. (My birthday is on [month] [day]).
Did you know?
- The Portuguese word aniversário is used for any yearly anniversary, not just the day someone was born.
- In Brazil, the word seu in your question might not just mean 'your' but could also be a shorthand for 'Senhor', meaning 'Mr.'.
- The word aniversário comes from the Latin word anniversārius, which is a combination of 'annus' meaning 'year' and 'versus' meaning 'turned'.
Examples in context
- Olá, senhor Silva. Poderia me informar quando é o seu aniversário?Hello, Mr. Silva. Could you inform me when your birthday is?
- Ei, João! Quando é o teu aniversário?Hey, João! When is your birthday?
- Senhora Santos, gostaria de saber quando é a data do seu aniversário.Mrs. Santos, I would like to know when your birthday is.
- Paula, quando fazes anos mesmo?Paula, when do you have your birthday again?
- Você lembra quando é o seu aniversário?Do you remember when your birthday is?
Example conversation
Two friends are chatting about their upcoming celebrations.
- LucasMariana, quando é o seu aniversário?Mariana, when is your birthday?
- MarianaÉ no dia dez de maio.It is on May tenth.
- LucasQue legal! Eu também gosto de maio.How cool! I like May too.
- MarianaE o seu, Lucas?And yours, Lucas?
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (quando, é, o, seu, aniversário) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aniversário, o, quando, seu, é, CC BY-SA 4.0.
