How To Say Happy Birthday in French
How To Say Happy Birthday in French
How To Say Happy Birthday in French
One of your French friend is going to celebrate his birthday soon and you would like to congratulate him.
Here is how to wish a happy birthday in french.
Contents
1 How do French people celebrate birthdays?
2 Two ways to say “happy birthday” in French
2.1 Bon anniversaire
2.2 Joyeux anniversaire
2.3 Bonne fête
2.4 How to wish a happy belated birthday?
Bon anniversaire
Literally “good birthday”. This is a common way to wish a happy birthday to someone in French.
Note that “anniversaire” doesn’t have the same meaning as “anniversary” in English.
“Anniversaire” alone refers to someone’s birthday.
If you want to talk about a wedding anniversary, you need to be more precise and say “anniversaire de mariage“.
Joyeux anniversaire
This one literally means “joyful birthday“.
This is another common way to say “happy birthday” in French, and the choice between “bon anniversaire” and “joyeux anniversaire” is simply a
matter of personal preference.
Bonne fête
If you are in Québec, you can use “bonne fête” (literally : good party/celebration) instead.
This also works in France, but isn’t precise enough. In France “bonne fête” mostly refers to christmas and New Year. Usually it’s used in the
plural form “bonnes fêtes”.
Note : I pronounced “bonne fête” with a French accent, the Canadian pronunciation may be different.