11 ways to say happy birthday in French
Published on July 28, 2022 / Updated on January 5, 2024
Celebrating a birthday is a fantastic occasion to bring all your loved ones together for a party. If you have friends across the world, it’s also a great way to learn how to say happy birthday in their language — in this case, French. Given the number of French-speaking countries in the world, many people may be wondering how you say happy birthday in French. So let’s dive into eleven different ways to wish someone the best birthday wishes, depending on who they are and your relationship with them. Plus, we’ll cover some French birthday traditions and of course, the birthday song in French!
Let’s start with the classic/standard way to say happy birthday in French. There are three common options:
These phrases are the same in terms of content and register, so you can use any of them when wishing your family member, friend or partner a happy birthday in French. You can also say:
If you want to wish your partner a happy birthday, it’s nice to say:
Now, if you’re celebrating somebody’s birthday at work, you might want to be a little more formal. Especially if you address your colleagues using vous instead of tu. You could try out some of the following phrases:
Lastly, let’s look at how you can give the best birthday wishes in French to someone you don’t know very well, or within a formal context. For example, your boss.
Félicitations can also be used to congratulate people in other ways, for example, when someone buys a house or passes an exam.
Birthdays are celebrated in France like many other countries, with gifts (cadeaux), parties (fêtes) and of course, the happy birthday song (chanson d’anniversaire)! Some interesting French birthday traditions include:
But one tradition that transcends borders: The birthday song! Why not have a go singing the happy birthday song in French? It’s a great way to practice the language while singing along to a tune you already know:
So there we have it, eleven ways to say happy birthday in French. Hopefully, the next time your French-speaking friend celebrates a birthday, you’ll feel well-equipped to wish them best birthday wishes in French and celebrate it as they would do in France.