Happy Birthday In French

Anyone learning French should be able to say “happy birthday” in this beautiful language.

Many people, in fact, learn to say “happy birthday” before they learn to speak the language itself.

Besides, knowing that wishing a French friend a happy birthday means a lot more to them than to you makes it all the more special!

So, what’s the best way to go about it?

Let’s take a look at each of the different ways to say happy birthday in French as well as a few interesting trivia connected to this joyous celebration.

Happy Birthday In French

1.  Birthday Greetings in French

Joyeux anniversaire!

In France, this is the first of two standard “happy birthday” greetings.

You can use this saying in Quebec and other French-speaking parts of Canada, but it is not the most common way to wish someone a happy birthday there.

This greeting directly translates to “happy birthday.”

Joyeux is French for “happy,” “joyful,” or “gleeful.”

Anniversaire, meanwhile, translates to  “birthday” or “anniversary,”.

In French however, it most commonly refers to one’s birthday when used alone. You would say anniversaire de mariage instead to refer to a wedding anniversary.

Bon anniversaire!

This is the second of two standard “happy birthday” greetings used in France.

In French-speaking parts of Canada, bon anniversaire, like joyeux anniversaire, can be used and understood, but it is not the most common birthday greeting there.

While joyeux anniversaire entails wishing another person a happy birthday in a broader sense, bon anniversaire is more into wishing the other person a happy birthday in a more specific sense like “Have a wonderful birthday,” for instance.

More Ways to Greet Someone a Happy Birthday in French

You might like the fact that the French expressions for “happy birthday” are fairly consistent, just like in English.

However, if you want to be less generic, you might want to mix things up and have a few other ways to say “happy birthday” in the love language.

Here are  more ways to wish someone a happy birthday in French.

• Happy Birthday to you! –  Joyeux anniversaire à toi !

• Happy Birthday my friend! –  Joyeux anniversaire, mon ami !

• Happy Birthday my love! – Joyeux anniversaire, mon amour !

• Happy Birthday beautiful! –  Joyeux anniversaire, ma belle !

• Have a fabulous birthday! – Passez un fabuleux anniversaire !

A Quick Note About Anniversaire

In English, the terms “anniversary” and “birthday” have distinct meanings and specific usage.

The word anniversaire, on the other hand, means both a birthday and anniversary in French. So, how do you distinguish between the two?

In French, if you just see the word anniversaire, that most likely refers to “birthday.”

An anniversaire de mariage meanwhile, is the French term for a wedding anniversary.

So, if you see gâteau d’anniversaire, assume it means birthday cake rather than anniversary cake, but either way, you’re in for a treat.

Similarly, the word anniversaire can be used to commemorate almost any event, but it is almost always preceded by the preposition de to indicate what is being commemorated.

Birthday song in French

The melody of the birthday song is the same in both the French and English versions.

Joyeux anniversaire !

Joyeux anniversaire !

Joyeux an – ni – ver – sai – re !*

Joyeux anniversaire !

Listen to it here:

2.  Birthday Wishes in French

Je vous souhaite plein de bonheur en cette journée spéciale.

This roughly translates to “Wishing you every happiness on your special day” or “wishing you a lot of happiness on this special day.”

Je is the French pronoun for “I,” while vous is the French pronoun for “you.”

Souhaite is French for “wish, plein is French for “full,” de is French for “of,” and bonheur is French for “happiness.”

En is French for “on, cette is French for “this,” journée is French for “day,” and spéciale is French for “special.”

Que vous puissiez être heureux (or heureuse, if the one having a birthday is female) encore de nombreuses années!

This birthday wish means “many happy returns” or “many happy years to come.”

You are essentially wishing someone many more happy birthdays in the future.

Que here is French for “may,” vous means “you,” puissiez translates to “(to) be able,” être means “(to) be,” and heureux (-se) is French for “happy.”

Encore is French for “still” or “yet” which implies the “still to come” part of this sentiment.

Nombreuses meanwhile, translates to “many” and années is French for “years.”

Que tous vos désirs se réalisent.

This sentence is the French way of saying “May all your dreams/wishes come true.”

Tous here us French for “all” while vos means “your.”

Désirs here can mean “desires,” “dreams,” or “wishes.”

Se réalisent meanwhile, is “to be brought about.”

More Birthday Wishes in French

As with greetings, there are other ways to express your best wishes for someone’s birthday.

Do you know someone in France who will be celebrating a birthday soon?

Here are some more ways to express your feelings on their special day.

• I hope you have a fantastic day and a fantastic year to come. – Je vous souhaite une journée fantastique et une année fantastique à venir.

• I hope you have a wonderful birthday. _ J’espère que tu auras un merveilleux anniversaire.

• I wish you all the best on your special day. – Je vous souhaite le meilleur pour votre journée spéciale.

• I wish you to have the happiest birthday ever! – Je te souhaite le plus joyeux des anniversaires !

• May your birthday be filled with laughter! – Que votre anniversaire soit rempli de rires !

• Wishing you a day that is as special as you are. – Je vous souhaite une journée aussi spéciale que vous l’êtes.

3.  Talking About Age in French

Yea, in French celebrations, you can inquire about the age of someone you know who is having a birthday. Age questions are often avoided or danced around in some countries, but in France, being direct is not an issue.

“How old are you?” is the correct question to ask. It’s important to remember that in French, the verb avoir means “to have.” Consider it the equivalent of ‘having’ years and years of experience. If you know someone close to you, you could ask:

• Quel âge as-tu? – How old are you now?

If extending your birthday greetings to an acquaintance, you can use the vous-form. This question is more formal.

• Quel âge avez-vous? – How old are you?

When someone responds to a question about age, they will state how many years they “have.”

• I’m twenty-five. – J’ai 25 ans.

• I’m thirty-three – J’ai 33 ans.

• On June 10th, I’ll be 17. – Le 10 juin, je vais avoir 17 ans.

4.  Other French Birthday Vocabulary

Now that you know how to say “happy birthday” in French, what’s next? If you’ve been invited to a birthday party, you’ll need to brush up on your French  party lingo.

When you’re in une fête d’anniversaire, you’re likely to see the following items:

• des bougies – candles

• une carte d’anniversaire – a birthday card

• un cadeau d’anniversaire – a birthday gift

• un gâteau d’anniversaire – a birthday cake

Want to learn more French phrases? Check out our language guides below:

• How Are You In French: 20 Ways To Say It
• Good Morning In French: Rules And Tips
• Weather In French
• Have A Great Day In French