Happy birthday in French is joyeux anniversaire (zhwah-YUH zah-nee-vair-SAIR), with a z sound joining the two words. Bon anniversaire (boh-nah-nee-vair-SAIR) is just as common and just as correct. Neither changes between tu and vous. In Québec people usually say bonne fête; in France that phrase wishes someone a happy name day.
- Happy birthday
- Joyeux anniversaire
- Also common
- Bon anniversaire
- Québec
- Bonne fête
- Belated
- … avec un peu de retard
- Level
- A1
Joyeux anniversaire or bon anniversaire?
Both are fine for anyone, from your boss to your nephew. Joyeux (joyful) is what most people sing and write on cakes; bon (good) is slightly more casual and turns up a lot in texts. You can build either one into a fuller wish, and that is where tu and vous come in.
| French | English | When |
|---|---|---|
| Joyeux anniversaire ! | Happy birthday! | Anyone; the sung and written classic |
| Bon anniversaire ! | Happy birthday! | Anyone; very common in speech and messages |
| Je te souhaite un joyeux anniversaire. | I wish you a happy birthday. | Someone you call tu |
| Je vous souhaite un très bon anniversaire. | I wish you a very happy birthday. | Someone you call vous, or a group |
| Bon anniversaire, avec un peu de retard ! | Happy belated birthday! | When you missed the day |
| Joyeux anniversaire de mariage ! | Happy wedding anniversary! | Anniversaire also means anniversary |
In a Contos beginner story, a family in Burgundy plans a secret party for Grandma Odette. The baker carries the wrong cake to the village hall, and a woman opens the box:
Elle lit : « Joyeux anniversaire, Odette, 80 ans ! »Her next line is Mais Odette a 79 ans ! (But Odette is 79!), which shows the other thing beginners need: in French you *have* an age, you are not it.
What do you write in a French birthday card?
Keep it short and warm. Start with the wish, add one line about the year ahead, and sign off. With friends and family, bisous (kisses) at the end is normal; with a colleague, amitiés or bonne journée is safer.
Joyeux anniversaire ! Passe une très belle journée.
Happy birthday! Have a lovely day.
Tu form.
Plein de bonheur pour cette nouvelle année.
Lots of happiness for the year ahead.
Bon anniversaire, profite bien de ta soirée !
Happy birthday, enjoy your evening!
Toute l'équipe vous souhaite un excellent anniversaire.
The whole team wishes you a wonderful birthday.
From colleagues, vous.
Gros bisous
Big kisses / Lots of love
Friends and family only.
Why do people in Québec say bonne fête?
In Québec, fête is the everyday word for your birthday, so Bonne fête ! is the normal wish and c'est ma fête means "it's my birthday". In France, bonne fête usually refers to your name day, the saint's day that shares your first name, which calendars still print. A French person hearing it in March may simply think it is their saint's day.
Québec also has its own birthday song, Gens du pays by Gilles Vigneault, sung at parties alongside the usual tune. In France, people sing Joyeux anniversaire to the English melody.
How do you talk about birthdays and ages?
Ages take avoir: j'ai trente ans is I'm thirty. Saying je suis trente is the classic English speaker's slip. Dates use plain numbers except the first of the month, which is le premier.
C'est quand, ton anniversaire ?
When's your birthday?
C'est le 12 mars.
It's on 12 March.
Mon anniversaire, c'est le premier juin.
My birthday is on the first of June.
Tu as quel âge ?
How old are you?
Fine with children and friends; avoid asking adults you don't know.
Elle souffle ses bougies.
She blows out her candles.
Read the free chapters of Grandma Odette's Secrets and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce joyeux anniversaire?
Roughly "zhwah-YUH zah-nee-vair-SAIR". The x of joyeux is sounded as a z because the next word starts with a vowel, so the two words run together. The j is soft, like the s in "measure".
How do you reply when someone says joyeux anniversaire?
Merci ! or Merci beaucoup ! is enough. To sound warmer, add C'est gentil (that's kind) or, to a friend, C'est adorable, merci !
Is heureux anniversaire correct?
It is understood, but joyeux anniversaire and bon anniversaire are what most people say. Heureux is more usual in other wishes, such as bonne et heureuse année for the new year.
How do you say happy 18th birthday in French?
Joyeux dix-huitième anniversaire, or more simply Joyeux anniversaire, 18 ans ! as on a cake. For 18, the French also say tu es majeur (or majeure), you're an adult now.