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"happy birthday" in seven languages

Meaninghappy birthday

Spanish

feliz cumpleaños

/feˈliθ kumpleˈaɲos/

inherited

French

joyeux anniversaire

/ʒwajøz anivɛʁsɛʁ/

learned

anniversaire is learned (ANNIVERSĀRIUM 'yearly') and also means any anniversary.

Italian

buon compleanno

/bwɔn kompleˈanno/

inherited

Possibly modelled on Spanish cumpleaños; Italians also just say tanti auguri!

Portuguese

feliz aniversário

/feˈlis aniveɾˈsaɾju/

learned

Romanian

la mulți ani

/la multsʲ anʲ/

inherited

'To many years': also said on name days and at New Year.

Catalan

per molts anys

/pər mols aɲs/

inherited

English

happy birthday

/ˈhæpi ˈbɝθdeɪ/

native English · Old Norse happ 'luck' + Old English dæg

English → Italianhappy birthdaybuon compleannoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: annual, anniversary; complete.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ANNUM‘year’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish and Italian celebrate 'completing years' (cumplir / compiere + años / anno). French uses the learned anniversaire.

English relatives: annual, anniversary; complete

Sound laws at work

NN, GN and N + yod

Learn it

Practice the Greetings & courtesy deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • es¡Feliz cumpleaños, abuela!
  • frJoyeux anniversaire, mamie !
  • itBuon compleanno, nonna!
  • ptFeliz aniversário, vó!
  • roLa mulți ani, bunico!
  • caPer molts anys, àvia!
  • enHappy birthday, Grandma!

More words from the same Latin

More in Greetings & courtesy

All Greetings & courtesy words