{"id":3642,"date":"2020-05-14T20:20:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T20:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/?p=3642"},"modified":"2020-08-15T16:03:24","modified_gmt":"2020-08-15T16:03:24","slug":"happy-birthday-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clozemaster.com\/blog\/happy-birthday-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Say \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d in French (and Other Useful Expressions)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Summer, New Years, May Day. They\u2019re all times for celebration and quite possibly cake. Birthdays, however are a trickier thing that has to be remembered for each person. Maybe you have a French-speaking friend or relative and you want to earn some brownie points. In this post, you\u2019ll learn all about saying \u201chappy birthday\u201d in French like a pro.<\/p>\n

There are several ways to express the idea in French. You should also know that not all French-speakers say it the same way, so you\u2019ll learn a few expressions to make sure that you\u2019re ready for any situation no matter where you are.<\/p>\n

<\/a>The Standard Ways to Say \u201cHappy Birthday\u201d in French<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with the two most common expressions for saying \u201chappy birthday\u201d in French. The first is more or less the standard in European French.<\/p>\n

Joyeux anniversaire <\/em>! <\/strong>
Happy Birthday!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The phrase is pronounced something like \u201czhwah-yeuh\u293bzah-nee-veR-seR\u201d. Keep in mind that a liason occurs between the two words, so there\u2019s a nice zzz sound at the beginning of anniversaire<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The other most common phrase to use on someone\u2019s birthday is:<\/p>\n

Bon anniversaire <\/em>! <\/strong>
Happy Birthday!<\/strong><\/p>\n

While joyeux anniversaire<\/em> means \u201chappy birthday\u201d in a more general way, bon anniversaire<\/em> implies wishing the listener to experience a good birthday. Something like \u201chave a good birthday\u201d.<\/p>\n

As with joyeux anniversaire<\/em>, a liason occurs and the last sound of the first word moves to the beginning of the second. So you should start the second part with an n<\/em><\/strong> sound.<\/p>\n

Bon anniversaire
<\/em>boh\u293bnah-nee-veR-seR<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>A Quick Note About Anniversaire<\/em><\/h3>\n

In English, the words \u201canniversary\u201d and \u201cbirthday\u201d are quite distinct. In French, however, the word anniversaire<\/em> fills in the space for both. So how do you tell them apart from each other?<\/p>\n

If you see the word anniversaire<\/em> by itself it probably means \u201cbirthday\u201d. The word for a wedding anniversary is anniversaire de mariage<\/em>. So if you see the term g\u00e2teau d\u2019anniversaire<\/em>, you can assume that it\u2019s a birthday cake rather than an anniversary cake, but either way you\u2019re in for a treat.<\/p>\n

Likewise the word anniversaire<\/em> can be used for the anniversary of almost anything, but it will pretty much always have the preposition de<\/em> behind it to tell you what.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Canadians Do It Differently<\/h2>\n

The two expressions joyeux anniversaire<\/em> and bon anniversaire<\/em> are pretty typical for European French, but they are a lot less commonly used in French-speaking Canada. Across the Atlantic, the expression most often used is bonne f\u00eate (<\/em>\u201cbohn feht\u201d). <\/em><\/p>\n

The phrase literally translates to \u201cgood party\u201d, but it\u2019s the go-to way to say \u201chappy birthday\u201d in Canadian French.<\/p>\n

Be aware though. While your meaning would be understood saying bon anniversaire<\/em> in Canada, you can\u2019t use bonne<\/em> f\u00eate <\/em>in Europe. There the phrase bonne<\/em> f\u00eate<\/em> is used to celebrate a person\u2019s name day (Saint day) and unless the odds are really in your favor, it won\u2019t be the same as their birthday.<\/p>\n

<\/a>What if You Forgot? \u2013 Saying Happy Belated<\/em> Birthday in French<\/h2>\n

Nobody\u2019s perfect and dates can be hard to remember. So what happens if you have to wish your French-speaking friends a belated birthday. It\u2019s actually pretty simple. Take the phrase joyeux anniversaire<\/em> that you already know and simply add en retard<\/em> (belated, late) at the end.<\/p>\n

Joyeux Anniversaire en retard ! <\/strong><\/em>
Happy Belated Birthday!<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>Mixing it Up With Other Expressions<\/h2>\n

You might like that just as in English, the French expressions for \u201chappy birthday\u201d are quite consistent. However, you might also want to mix things up and have a few other ways to say \u201chappy birthday\u201d in French so that you stand out a bit. So, we\u2019ll go over a few for you now.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Passe(z) un bon anniversaire<\/em> <\/strong>
Have a good birthday<\/strong><\/p>\n

Self-explanatory.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Passe(z) une merveilleuse journ\u00e9e<\/em> <\/strong>
Have a wonderful day<\/strong><\/p>\n

This can work as a nice replacement.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Meilleurs v\u0153ux<\/em> <\/strong>
Best wishes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meilleurs v\u0153ux<\/em> is mostly used to say \u201cbest wishes\u201d in writing, but you can sometimes hear it spoken French as well.<\/p>\n

<\/a>F\u00e9licitations<\/em> <\/strong>
Congratulations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simple and easy.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Talking About Age in French<\/h2>\n

Since someone you know is having a birthday, you can ask them how old they are. In some countries, questions of age are sometimes danced around or avoided, but in French, there\u2019s no problem with being direct about it.<\/p>\n

The question you should ask translates literally to \u201cwhat age do you have?\u201d Remember that in French you express age with the verb avoir<\/em>. You can think of it as \u2018having\u2019 years and age. So with someone you\u2019re close with you could ask:<\/p>\n

Quel \u00e2ge as-tu<\/em>? <\/strong>
How old are you now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, if you need to ask the question to someone that you have a bit more social distance with, you can make it more formal with the vous<\/em>-form.<\/p>\n

Quel \u00e2ge avez-vous<\/em>? <\/strong>
How old are you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When someone answers, they\u2019ll respond with how many years they \u201chave\u201d.<\/p>\n

J\u2019ai 29 ans.\u00a0
<\/em> I\u2019m twenty-nine.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ils ont 7 ans.<\/em><\/strong>
They are 7 years old.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Le 10 juin, je vais avoir 33 ans<\/em>.<\/strong>
On June 10th, I\u2019ll be 33.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>Other French Birthday Vocabulary<\/h2>\n

Now that you\u2019ve gotten more familiar with how to say \u201chappy birthday\u201d in French, what do you say next? Well, if you\u2019ve been invited to the birthday party, then there’s going to be a lot of other vocabulary that you should also know.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with some of the most common things you might see at une f\u00eate d\u2019anniversaire:<\/em><\/p>\n

une f\u00eate d\u2019anniversaire<\/em> <\/strong>
a birthday party<\/strong><\/p>\n

un cadeau d\u2019anniversaire<\/em>
a birthday gift<\/strong><\/p>\n

un g\u00e2teau d\u2019anniversaire<\/em>
a birthday cake<\/strong><\/p>\n

une carte d\u2019anniversaire<\/em>
a birthday card<\/strong><\/p>\n

des bougies<\/em> <\/strong>
candles<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>A Note About des G\u00e2teaux<\/h3>\n

For the French, le g\u00e2teau d\u2019anniversaire<\/em> is quite a simple affair. Don\u2019t expect frosting and elaborate decorations on the cake. Instead, you\u2019re more likely to get a minimalist g\u00e2teau<\/em> with more subtle flavours of fruit and\/or nuts. Tarts are also quite common.<\/p>\n

To give you an idea, we\u2019ve laid out some common dessert vocabulary for those of you with a sweet tooth to enjoy:<\/p>\n

Le g\u00e2teau au yaourt <\/em>
yoghurt cake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Le g\u00e2teau marbr\u00e9 <\/em>
chocolate marble cake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Le g\u00e2teau au chocolat<\/em>
chocolate cake<\/strong><\/p>\n

La tarte aux fruits <\/em>
fruit tart<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>Singing and Chanter!<\/h3>\n

Of course when the cake comes out, people will often sing the \u201chappy birthday\u201d song. In the French-speaking world, there are two well known songs for this part of the birthday party.<\/p>\n

The first is rather simple. It’s really just the phrase joyeux anniversaire<\/em> repeated four times. But can use it to practice your liaisons and the vowel sound of the French -eux.<\/em><\/p>\n

Joyeux anniversaire
<\/em>Joyeux anniversaire
<\/em>Joyeux anniversaire (name of the Birthday person)
<\/em>Joyeux anniversaire<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, if you find yourself in French-speaking Canada, then you need to swap out joyeux<\/em> anniversaire<\/em> for its Quebecois counterpart. As with the previous song, the words are simple and you can learn them on the ride over to party:<\/p>\n

Bonne f\u00eate \u00e0 toi
<\/em>Bonne f\u00eate \u00e0 toi
<\/em>Bonne f\u00eate \u00e0 (name of the birthday person)
<\/em>Bonne f\u00eate \u00e0 toi<\/em><\/p>\n

The other \u201chappy birthday\u201d song is a bit more complex and will definitely take you a bit longer to learn:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n

Joyeux anniversaire<\/em>
Heureux anniversaire<\/em>
Tous nos v\u0153ux sont sinc\u00e8res <\/em>
Pour ton anniversaire <\/em>
Tes amis aujourd\u2019hui <\/em>
Se sont tous r\u00e9unis <\/em>
Ton bonheur on l\u2019esp\u00e8re<\/em>
Pour ton anniversaire<\/em><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Happy birthday
Happy birthday
All our most sincere wishes
For your birthday
Today, your friends
Have all come together
To wish you cheer
For your birthday<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/a>Spreading Birthday Cheer<\/h2>\n

So there you have it. You should be ready to wish someone a good birthday no matter where you find yourself and what kind of French speaker you find yourself with. Now you can feel confident to go up to your Francophone friends and family to wish them a very bon anniversaire<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Learn French in context with Clozemaster<\/h2>\n

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Take your French to the next level. <\/strong>Click here to start practicing with real French sentences!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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