Happy Birthday In Spanish: The 3 Painless Ways

happy birthday in spanish

Got Spanish-speaking amigos and amigas (friends)who will celebrate his/her birthday soon? This post will walk you through some of the most common phrases that will help you wish someone a Happy Birthday in Spanish like a real pro. After all, what better way to make our friends feel special than speaking in a language close to their hearts, right? To be able to impress them fully, we will also give you the translation of the common birthday song renditions and wishes used by the locals from Spanish-speaking countries. If you are up for that, then let’s start learning!

If one group of people knows how to throw big fiesta de cumpleaños or birthday parties, then that would be our Spanish friends. Just like in English-speaking countries, the celebrations usually include dining with family and close friends, lots of hugging and singing, and receiving presents or cards.

The only difference is that there are instances where some traditional Spanish people celebrate their birthdays twice a year, and that is during their actual birthdate and on their name day. 

Given that Spain and Latin America are mostly devout Catholics, some names are actually from the Bible, which is why you can hear people saying phrases like “es el día de mi Santo” (Translation: ‘It is my name’s day.’ ‘Santo’ means ‘Saint.’). However, this tradition has mainly stayed in previous generations, no longer celebrated by younger people. 

Let’s get to know more about their birthday tradiciones (traditions) in the next section below.

How To Say Happy Birthday In Spanish?

  • Happy Birthday To You!¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti!
  • Happy birthday – Feliz cumpleaños
  • Happy birthday – Feliz cumple
  • Congratulations – Felicidades

Whether you are a total beginner or a real pro in Spanish, learning how to say happy birthday correctly can significantly improve your relationships with the locals. There are three significant ways to wish someone on their special day: ‘¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti!’, ‘Feliz cumple’, and ‘Felicidades.’

¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! Happy Birthday in Spanish

1. ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! (Happy Birthday To You!)

This birthday wish is the most basic translation of ‘happy birthday’ and it is the phrase used in the Spanish birthday song. The word cumpleaños can be divided into two: cumple (which means “to turn” in English) and años (which refers to “years”). Basically, you congratulate the celebrant for “aging up” and completing a whole year.

2. Feliz cumpleaños. (Happy birthday)

The simple version of the first phrase is ‘¡Feliz Cumpleaños!.’ Usually, people omit saying ‘to you’ (a ti) since, in most cases, it is already apparent to whom we are referring to.

3. Feliz cumple. (Happy Birthday)

The Felix Cumple is a more casual way of saying happy birthday and can be used for informational situations. This is not something you’d like to use when greeting your bosses.

3. Felicidades. (Congratulations)

While the direct translation of Felicidades is “congratulations” in English, this has been widely used by the locals as a shorter and friendlier substitute to ¡Feliz Cumpleaños! Another variation for this is Felicitaciones, which sounds formal and is rarely used in casual conversations.

[Tip] Interested to learn how other languages say a happy birthday? Read our previous post here and master 50 ways of writing and saying happy birthday!

Feliz cumple spanish happy birthday

How To Sing Happy Birthday In Spanish? Here Are The Lyrics!

Spanish is one of the biggest languages in the world, and there is no surprise that there are about 20 countries that use this as a first language. But just like English, there are variations in the usage, so we are listing below the different lyrics used for singing a happy birthday in Spanish.

Please do note that these songs all use the same tone as the classic happy birthday.

Happy Birthday In Spanish: Version 1

Birthday Song In Spanish English Translation
Feliz cumpleaños a ti Happy Birthday to you
Feliz cumpleaños a ti Happy Birthday to you
Feliz cumpleaños querido/a (name) Happy birthday dear / a (name)
Feliz cumpleaños a ti. Happy Birthday to you.
Ya queremos pastel We want cake now
Ya queremos pastel, We want cake now,
Aunque sea un pedacito, Even a bit,
Pero queremos pastel. But we want cake.

 

Happy Birthday In Spanish: Version 2

Birthday Song In Spanish English Translation
¡Feliz, feliz en tu día. Happy, happy in your day.
Amiguito, que Dios te bendiga. Friend, God bless you.
Que reine la paz en tu día. Peace reign in your day.
Y que cumplas muchos más! And have more years!

 

Happy Birthday In Spanish: Version 3

Birthday Song In Spanish English Translation
¡Que los cumplas feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Que los cumplas feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Que los cumplas, [Name]! Happy birthday, [Name]!
¡Que los cumplas feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Cumpleaños feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Cumpleaños feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Cumpleaños feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Cumpleaños feliz! Happy birthday!
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! Happy Birthday to you!
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! Happy Birthday to you!
¡Feliz cumpleaños a [Name]! Happy Birthday to you, [Name]!
¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! Happy Birthday to you!

 

Birthday Celebrations In Spain And Latin America

Birthday party blow candles - Say Happy Birthday in the Spanish language: The 3 Easy Ways!

In Spain and Latin American countries, a birthday or cumpleaños is special and is considered a family affair. This is a celebration of love, and it means that even if the family members live far, they will go out of their way to celebrate your special day with you and even gift you with some symbolic handmade items. According to the locals, they sometimes throw two types of birthday parties for their actual birthday: one with the family and one with close friends or colleagues.

When celebrating with the family, the whole theme is warm and inviting, and the members usually do a potluck or cook together. Some of the dishes expected include some Tortilla Espanola, Bunuelos de Bacalao, Gambas al Ajillo, and Mojo Picon pork Skewers. And of course, let us not forget the pastel (cake) and vino (wine) as this is the highlight of celebrations as the family sings the Feliz Cumpleaños or happy birthday song!

And speaking of the cake, Mexican birthday parties will focus on the tres leches (Three Milk Cake)a special multicolored cake that the birthday celebrant enjoys. You will also hear people say ¡Mordida!, which means that you have to take the first bite of the cake before the guests can have their share. The younger generations sometimes also do the famous face-cake-smash!

Another prominent birthday tradition is that the Spanish people sometimes pull the ears of the birthday girl or boy. They will tug your ear depending on your age, plus another tug for good luck! Another well-known tradition for kid parties is for the celebrant to hit a piñata or a paper maché figure containing candies and small toys inside. As you try to break it open when blindfolded, the guests will usually say “Dale” which translates to hit it or go ahead in English.

Fiesta De Cumpleaños – Birthday Party

But before you invite people to join you for your birthday, please do remember that you have to ready your pocket. This is because it is customary for the birthday celebrant to pay for all the costs related to their celebration. In short, you will have to pay the total amount if you will dine out at a restaurant or go to an amusement park on your day.

Now You Know How To Say Feliz Cumpleaños!

As we reach this part of the post, we hope you can learn the best ways to say your heartfelt congratulations on your friend’s or family member’s birthday in Spanish. If you enjoyed this post, be sure not to miss out on our previous Spanish language tips, including the days of the weekhow to say hi the Spanish way, and basic compliments.

Would you also like to master the Spanish language? Whether you are planning to make a quick trip or thinking of working with Spanish colleagues, we strongly advise you to sign up for FREE with Ling App to get a comprehensive language course today. The Ling App is one of the best learning systems available, complete with everything from bite-sized content to games and quizzes to help you achieve your learning goals.

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That’s it for how to say happy birthday in Spanish! Did you know that the latest language studies suggest that you only need to expose yourself to your target language for at least 10 minutes a day to become a confident speaker in no time? So, with the help of a free dedicated language platform like the Ling App, make the most of your leisure time by learning basic vocabs, grammatical structures, and even speaking patterns.

Download the app from App Store and Play Store today and master Spanish and over 60+ foreign languages today using your mobile device. Learn on the go and find the boost you need through our platform today.

 

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