How to Say "birthday" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “birthday” is “cumpleaños” — use this word for the anniversary of the day someone was born; it is the standard and most widely understood term for 'birthday'.
Use this word for the anniversary of the day someone was born; it is the standard and most widely understood term for 'birthday'.
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Use this informal abbreviation in casual conversation with friends or family when referring to someone's birthday.
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While 'aniversario' means anniversary, it is typically used for events like wedding anniversaries or the founding of organizations, not for a person's birthday.
Learn more →cumpleaños
Examples
¡Feliz cumpleaños, Ana!
Happy birthday, Ana!
kúm-pleˈkumple
Examples
¿Cuándo es tu cumple?
When is your birthday?
Vamos a hacer una fiesta para el cumple de Sofía.
We are going to throw a party for Sofía's birthday.
¡Feliz cumple!
Happy birthday! (Very common short form)
Gender and Abbreviation
Even though it's a shortened word, 'cumple' keeps the masculine gender of the full word 'cumpleaños', so always use 'el cumple'.
Using 'la cumple'
Mistake: “Saying 'la cumple' because 'fiesta' (party) is feminine.”
Correction: Since 'cumple' stands for 'el cumpleaños', it is always masculine: 'el cumple'. If you mean the party, say 'la fiesta de cumple'.
ah-nee-vehr-SAH-ree-ohaniβeɾˈsaɾjo
Examples
Hoy celebramos nuestro décimo aniversario de boda.
Today we celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.
El banco celebró su 50º aniversario con una fiesta grande.
The bank celebrated its 50th anniversary with a big party.
El aniversario de la independencia es un día festivo nacional.
The anniversary of independence is a national holiday.
Gender Alert
Even though it ends in '-o', which is common for masculine words, remember 'aniversario' is always masculine, so you must use 'el' or 'un' before it.
The 'de' connector
When specifying what kind of anniversary it is (e.g., wedding), Spanish usually connects the words using 'de': 'aniversario de bodas' (anniversary of wedding).
Confusing Anniversaries
Mistake: “Using 'aniversario' for someone's personal birthday.”
Correction: Use 'cumpleaños' for a person's birthday. 'Aniversario' is strictly for couples, companies, or historical events.
Birthday vs. Anniversary
The most common mistake is using 'aniversario' for a person's birthday. Remember that 'aniversario' refers to the anniversary of events like weddings or company founding, while 'cumpleaños' is specifically for the anniversary of someone's birth.
Related Translations
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