cuándo es mi cumpleaños
/kwando es mi kumpleaɲos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "when my birthday is" is translated into Spanish as cuándo es mi cumpleaños.
This phrase is used to state or ask about the date on which a person was born.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Spanish, the word order for a question (¿Cuándo es mi cumpleaños?) and an indirect question or noun clause (…cuándo es mi cumpleaños) is identical. Additionally, the word for birthday, cumpleaños, is a compound noun that is always used in its plural form, even when referring to a single birthday.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to use the singular cumpleaño, but in Spanish, the word is always cumpleaños.
Did you know?
- In some Latin American countries, it is traditional to pull the birthday person's ear once for every year they have lived while singing the birthday song.
- The word cumpleaños literally translates to 'fulfills years'. It describes the act of completing a full cycle of years rather than just a single date.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the birthday person is treated to a meal or cake by their guests rather than the other way around.
Examples in context
- Tu cumpleaños es el 20 de abril.Your birthday is April 20th.
- No sé cuándo es mi cumpleaños.I don't know when my birthday is.
- No recuerdo cuándo es mi cumpleaños.I don't remember when my birthday is.
- ¿Sabes cuándo es mi cumpleaños?Do you know when my birthday is?
- Dime cuándo es mi cumpleaños.Tell me when my birthday is.
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are talking about their upcoming celebrations.
- Lucía¿Te acuerdas de cuándo es mi cumpleaños?Do you remember when my birthday is?
- MateoNo, ¿cuándo es?No, when is it?
- LucíaEs el diez de mayo.It is May tenth.
- Mateo¡Ah, casi lo olvido!Ah, I almost forgot!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cumpleaños, cuándo, es, mi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
