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Your guide to saying "Happy birthday" like a native French-speaker
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Do you have a French friend or relative whose birthday is coming up? Why not surprise them with a birthday greeting in French? Learning to speak the entire language takes time—but a simple celebratory phrase like “Joyeux anniversaire” or “Bonne fête” is easy to learn! In this article, we’ll teach you several different ways of saying “Happy Birthday” in French, including standard expressions, less common variations, and the lyrics for a “Happy Birthday” song.
Steps
Section 1 of 5:
Standard French Birthday Wishes
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Joyeux anniversaire! This translates directly to “Happy birthday!” in French. It’s the first of two standard “happy birthday” greetings used commonly in France. While you can also use this saying in Quebec and other French-speaking parts of Canada, note that it’s not the most common way to offer birthday wishes there. [1] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Zhwa-yeu zah-ni-vehr-sehr
- Joyeux means "happy," "joyful," or "gleeful."
- Anniversaire can mean "birthday" or "anniversary," but when said alone, it most commonly refers to one's birthday. To refer to a wedding anniversary, you would say "anniversaire de mariage."
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Bon anniversaire! This is the second of two standard “happy birthday” greetings used in France. Bon means "good" or "well" in French. As such, this phrase translates more directly to "Have a good birthday" rather than "Happy birthday." [2] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Buhn ah-ni-vehr-sehr
- “Bon anniversaire” uses the male version of “good” (“bon”) because it’s followed by a vowel (“ a nniversaire”), but it’s actually pronounced as bonne. So while “happy birthday” in French is pronounced like “bonne anniversaire,” it’s spelled as “bon anniversaire.”
- As with Joyeux anniversaire, Bon anniversaire can be used in French-speaking parts of Canada, but it’s not the most common birthday greeting there.
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Bonne fête! This is the most casual and commonly used way to say “Happy birthday” in French-speaking portions of Canada, like Quebec. Unlike the previous two expressions, "Bonne fête" can’t be used in France. There, "Bonne fête" is usually used to wish someone a good "name day,” which refers to the feast day of the saint they’re named after. [3] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Buhn feht
- Bonne is the feminine form of the word "bon", meaning "good" or "well."
- Fête means "celebration."
- Translated directly, "Bonne fête" means "Good party."
Learn regional birthday wishes for French-speaking areas.
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Use French birthday phrases for language practice.
"I'm teaching myself French, so having various birthday greetings to try out allows me to gain practical experience. Using them to wish my Francophone coworker a happy birthday let me apply what I've learned."
- Christophe-Aaron H.
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Joyeux anniversaire en retard! This means “Happy belated birthday!” Use it if you forgot to wish someone a happy birthday on their actual birthday, or missed their birthday for some other reason. “Joyeux anniversaire” is the standard phrase, and “en retard” at the end simply means belated or late in French. [4] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Zhwa-yeu zah-ni-vehr-sehr ehn ruh-tarh
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Section 2 of 5:
Less Common French Birthday Expressions
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Passez une merveilleuse journée In English, this means, “Have a wonderful day!” Passez is a conjugated form of the French verb "passer," meaning "pass" or "spend." Merveilleuse translates into "wonderful," and une journée means "a day." Use this phrase to wish someone a happy, satisfying special day. [5] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Pah-say oon mehr-vay-euze zhour-nay
- Alternatively, you could use “Passez un bon anniversaire!” to say “Have a good birthday!” instead.
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Meilleurs vœux This means “Best wishes!” Use this phrase to warmly wish someone well on their birthday. While it isn’t an especially common birthday greeting in France, it’s still acceptable to use. Meilleurs translates into "best," and vœux translates into "wishes" or "greetings." [6] X Research source
- Pronunciation : May-yeur veu
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Félicitations This translates directly to “Congratulations!” in English. Use the greeting to congratulate someone on celebrating their birthday. While this isn’t an especially common way to wish someone a happy birthday, it’s slightly more common to say “Congratulations” in France than in the United States. [7] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Feh-lee-see-tah-see-ohn
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Merci d'être né(e) This translates to “Thanks for being born!” It’s a silly, friendly way to let someone close to you know how much you appreciate them on their birthday. “Né” is the masculine form of the word (for men), while “Née” is the feminine form (for women). [8] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Mehr-see det-ruh ney
- “Merci” means “thank you,” while “d'être” means “reason for being” and “né” means “born.”
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Joyeux anniversaire, mon amour This means “Happy birthday, my love.” You can be more specific with your “Happy birthday” wishes if you’re talking to someone special! Whether it’s a partner, parent, sibling, friend, or other family member, add a reference to them after the initial “Happy birthday” statement. [9] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Zhwa-yeu zah-ni-vehr-sehr, mohn ah-moor
- Terms for friends and family include:
- Mon frère = My brother
- Ma sœur = My sister
- Maman = Mother
- Papa = Father
- Mémé = Grandma
- Pépé = Grandpa
- Mon ami(e) = My friend
- Mon beau/Ma belle = My beautiful
- Ma chérie / Mon chéri = My dear
- Mon cœur = My heart
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Quel âge as-tu? This means “How old are you?” in French—but it translates more directly to, “How many years do you have?” since “as” (or “avez” in the formal version of the phrase) is a form of the verb “avoir,” which means “to have.” Use the question to ask someone how old they are on their birthday. [10] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Kel ahj ah-too
- “Quel âge avez-vous?” is the more formal version of this phrase, although it means the same thing.
- Quel means "what" or "which,” and "âge" means "age" in English.
- Just remember to use this with people you know well, and have already wished a happy birthday. It’s not considered outright rude in France—but, after all, you wouldn’t ask a stranger how old they are in English.
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Section 3 of 5:
Longer French Birthday Wishes
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Je vous souhaite plein de bonheur en cette journée spéciale This translates to "Wishing you every happiness on your special day," or "I wish you lots of happiness on this special day." It’s another way to kindly wish someone a happy birthday without using the same phrase every time. [11] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Zhe voo zou-hette plehn duh buhn-ehr ehn set zhour-nay speh-cee-ahl
- Je means "I" and vous is a direct object pronoun used to refer to "you." Souhaite means "wish," plein means "full," de means "of," and bonheur" means "happiness."
- En means "on," cette means "this," journée means "day," and spéciale means "special."
- There are plenty of similar variations as well, such as:
- Je te souhaite un super anniversaire! (I wish you a great birthday!)
- Je te souhaite un très joyeux anniversaire! (Wishing you a very happy birthday!)
- Joyeux anniversaire, passe une belle journée! (Happy birthday, have a good one!)
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Que vous puissiez être heureux encore de nombreuses années This roughly translates to "May you be happy for many more years," or "Many happy returns." You’re essentially wishing someone many more happy birthdays in the future! If the person you’re talking to is female, use “heureuse” instead of “heureux.” [12] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Keh voo pwee-see-eh zetrah uhr-eu ehn-cor dey nohm-brhus ah-nay
- Que here means "may," vous means "you," puissiez means "(to) be able," être means "(to) be," and heureux (-se) means "happy."
- Encore means "still" or "yet" and expresses the "still to come" part of this sentiment. Nombreuses means "many" and années means "years."
- Similar variant phrases include:
- Que cette nouvelle année t’apporte plein de bonheur! (May this new year bring you lots of happiness!)
- Je te souhaite pour l’année à venir du bonheur et de l’amour! (I wish you happiness and love for the coming year!)
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Que tous vos désirs se réalisent This sentiment means "May all your wishes (or dreams) come true." Since it’s common to make wishes when blowing out the candles on a birthday cake, it’s a sweet and fitting thing to say to someone on their birthday! [13] X Research source
- Pronunciation : Keh too voh deeh-zir suh ray-al-eez
- Tous means "all" and vos means "your."
- Désirs can mean "desires," "dreams," or "wishes."
- Se réalisent means "to be brought about."
- Similar variant phrases include:
- J'espère que tous tes vœux d'anniversaire se réaliseront! (Hope all your birthday wishes come true!)
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Birthday Phrases Cheat Sheets
Community Q&A
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QuestionWhat is the meaning of "Joyeux Noel"?Dodo47Top AnswererIt means Merry Christmas!
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QuestionHow does one say, "Have A Beautiful And Blessed Day?"Community AnswerWe don't have any special translation because we rarely say that in France, but you could say "soyez béni en cette belle journée," literally meaning, "be blessed in this beautiful day."
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QuestionHow do you sing happy birthday in French?Community AnswerIn Canadian French, it is: Bonne fête à toi (x2), Bonne fête (insert name here), Bonne fête à toi. In France French, it is: Joyeux anniversaire (x4). It is optional to add the celebrant's name after the third repetition.
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References
- ↑ https://www.lawlessfrench.com/expressions/joyeux-anniversaire/
- ↑ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/bon-anniversaire_1
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-say-happy-birthday-in-french
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-say-happy-birthday-in-french
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/have-a-good-day-in-french/
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-say-happy-birthday-in-french
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-say-happy-birthday-in-french
- ↑ https://frenchtogether.com/thank-you-in-french/
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/48-words-of-endearment-in-french
- ↑ https://www.lawlessfrench.com/vocabulary/ages-birthdays-anniversaries/
- ↑ https://en.bab.la/phrases/personal/best-wishes/english-french
- ↑ https://the6track.com/birthday/happy-birthday-wishes-french-bon-anniversaire/
- ↑ https://the6track.com/birthday/happy-birthday-wishes-french-bon-anniversaire/
- ↑ https://langster.org/en/blog/how-to-say-happy-birthday-in-french
- ↑ https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/happy-birthday-song-in-french/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/ZJTC9LuQQwY
- ↑ https://www.fluentu.com/blog/french/happy-birthday-song-in-french/
About This Article
Article Summary
X
The easiest way to say “Happy Birthday” in French is to say “Joyeux Anniversaire” ((jhoy-OOS ah-knee-verh-SAIR). You could also say “Bon Anniversaire” (bon ah-nee-verh-SAIR), which translates to “Have a good birthday.” If you’re in French-speaking Canada, the most common birthday greeting is “Bonne Fête,” (bon fet), or “Have a good celebration.” If you want to ask someone how old they are, read on!
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