Happy birthday in Spanish is feliz cumpleaños (feh-LEETH koom-pleh-AH-nyohs in Spain). Just as common in Spain is ¡felicidades!, congratulations, which covers birthdays and other celebrations. Friends shorten it to feliz cumple. To ask how old someone is turning, say ¿cuántos años cumples? The usual reply to any of them is ¡gracias!
- Happy birthday
- feliz cumpleaños
- Congratulations
- ¡felicidades!
- Casual
- feliz cumple
- Many happy returns
- que cumplas muchos más
- Level
- A1
Feliz cumpleaños or felicidades?
Both are right, and Spaniards often say them together. Felicidades is the more spoken of the two in Spain: you hear it on the phone, at the office door and across the table. Feliz cumpleaños is what goes on cards and cakes. The verb behind both is felicitar, to wish someone well on their day.
| Spanish | English | Feel |
|---|---|---|
| ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | Happy birthday! | Standard; spoken and written |
| ¡Felicidades! | Congratulations! Happy birthday! | Spain's everyday birthday word |
| ¡Muchas felicidades! | Many congratulations! | Warm |
| ¡Feliz cumple! | Happy birthday! | Casual; friends and messages |
| Que cumplas muchos más | Many happy returns | Literally: may you turn many more |
| Que pases un día genial | Have a great day | Friendly add-on |
| Le deseo un feliz cumpleaños | I wish you a happy birthday | Formal, usted; cards to colleagues |
Te llamo para felicitarte.
I'm calling to wish you a happy birthday.
¡Felicidades, Marta! ¿Qué tal el día?
Happy birthday, Marta! How's your day going?
How do you talk about age in Spanish?
Spanish has years rather than being them. Your age goes with tener: tengo treinta años, literally I have thirty years. A birthday uses cumplir, to complete: mañana cumplo treinta, I turn thirty tomorrow. "Soy treinta" is a common learner error.
¿Cuántos años tienes?
How old are you?
¿Cuántos años cumples?
How old are you turning?
¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
When is your birthday?
Es el doce de mayo.
It's on the twelfth of May.
Mi abuela cumple ochenta el jueves.
My grandmother turns eighty on Thursday.
One A1 series is built around exactly that birthday. A Valencian family is secretly planning a party for Grandma Pilar's 80th, and the first chapter gives her age the Spanish way, with tener:
Pilar, la abuela, se pone su abrigo elegante. Tiene 79 años y una carpeta azul en la mano.Dates follow the pattern el + number + de + month, with no capital on the month. The page of Spanish days and months has the full list.
How do people celebrate birthdays in Spain?
In Spain the person having the birthday often treats the others: bringing pastries to work, or paying for a round of drinks. Hoy invito yo (today it's on me) is a typical birthday line. Some families still give a tirón de orejas, a gentle tug on the ears for each year. Older Spaniards may also celebrate their santo, the feast day of the saint they are named after, and get a felicidades for that too.
The cake is la tarta in Spain. In the same series, Javi, the cook of the family, says too much and stops himself:
—Marta, la tarta va bien. Y la fiesta sorpresa también. ¡Ah! Perdón.Spain sings Cumpleaños feliz to the familiar tune, the words of happy birthday swapped round.
How do you reply to birthday wishes?
A plain ¡gracias! is enough. To sound warmer, thank people for remembering, or reply to a group message all at once.
¡Muchas gracias por acordarte!
Thanks so much for remembering!
Gracias a todos por las felicitaciones.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes.
¡Qué ilusión! Muchas gracias.
How lovely! Thank you so much.
Spain; ilusión means delight here, not illusion.
For a friend you have not seen for a while, add a line from how to say I miss you in Spanish.
Read A1 Spanish stories about families, parties and secrets, and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
Is it cumpleaños or cumpleaño?
Always cumpleaños, with an s, even for one birthday: el cumpleaños, los cumpleaños. It is a compound of cumple (completes) and años (years).
How do you say happy belated birthday in Spanish?
¡Felicidades con retraso! or ¡felicidades atrasadas! are common in Spain. Feliz cumpleaños atrasado also works. Adding perdona el retraso (sorry it's late) is a nice touch.
How do you say happy 30th birthday?
¡Feliz treinta cumpleaños! is correct, but in speech people more often say ¡felices treinta! The same works for any age: ¡felices cuarenta!
What do you write in a Spanish birthday card?
Something like: ¡Feliz cumpleaños, Ana! Que pases un día precioso. Un abrazo muy fuerte. Un abrazo (a hug) is the usual friendly sign-off.
What does felicidades mean?
Literally "happinesses". It is a general congratulations for birthdays, weddings, new jobs and exams, and in Spain it is the commonest way to wish happy birthday out loud.