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Happy birthday in Spanish.
What to write.

Happy birthday in Spanish is feliz cumpleaños. Use it on its own or mix it into a longer message.

The messages below are sorted by who is signing: a close friend, family, a wider group, and short ones for anyone who wants one phrase and a name.

Create a cardRead a sample card

Everyone's words in one card.

Updated

A cake. Happy birthday. Second slice is allowed. Third is between you and the fridge.

Happy birthday. Feliz cumpleaños. However you say it, we mean every word.

From Kofi

Te queremos. Happy birthday, and many more of them.

From Rosa

Feliz cumpleaños. Some of us needed a reminder. All of us mean it.

From Sam

Pick a design

  • Marker lettering. Happy birthday. First round's on you. "us" is crossed out and "you" written above it.
  • Marker lettering. Happy birthday. I got you a card. "present" is crossed out and "card" written above it.
  • A pair of socks. Happy birthday. It's socks. You knew it was socks.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Happy birthday. You still can't fold a fitted sheet and that's fine.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Happy birthday. Stay exactly as you are. Maybe tidier.
  • Two-colour printed lettering. Happy birthday. Yes, there's cake. No, you don't have to speak.
  • A set of car keys. Happy birthday. Still got it. Not sure where you put it.
  • At the barbecue. Extra for the birthday cook. Burnt bits included.
  • A mug. Happy birthday to the one who knows how everyone takes their tea.
  • Sparklers. The sky gets ten minutes. You get the whole day.

The question

Each writer gets a question.

One at a time, about Sam. They answer in their own words, or write without one.

Who they are to you
  1. Something Sam did this year that you still think about.
  2. Words of Sam's that you have caught yourself using.
  3. A day Sam made better just by turning up.
  4. Something Sam taught you without meaning to.
  5. A small thing about Sam that nobody else would notice.
  6. The story about Sam you tell most.
  1. The moment you knew you had a proper friend in Sam.
  2. Something Sam did that only a friend would.
  3. A thing you still laugh about together.
  4. The time Sam turned up when it mattered.
  5. Something Sam knew about you before you said it.
  1. Something Sam did for the family that went unsaid.
  2. A habit of Sam's that you have caught yourself copying.
  3. A memory of Sam from when you were younger.
  4. Something Sam put up with from you.
  5. Something Sam taught you, mostly by example.
  1. A small thing Sam did that you noticed and never mentioned.
  2. The moment you knew.
  3. Something Sam did this year that made things easier for you.
  4. A thing about Sam you would not change.
  5. Something Sam carried that was yours to carry.
  1. The thing you go to Sam for.
  2. Something you picked up from working beside Sam.
  3. A bad day at work that Sam turned round.
  4. Something a new starter should be told about Sam.
  5. Something Sam did that made the job feel worth doing.

Or write without one.

Happy birthday messages in Spanish

Pick one, swap in a detail that fits, and sign it.

From a close friend

  • Feliz cumpleaños. You deserve the whole day doing nothing you don't want to do.

  • Happy birthday. Feliz cumpleaños. However you say it, we mean every word.

  • Feliz cumpleaños, amiga. The plans are made, the table is booked, and you are not allowed to cancel.

  • You taught me feliz cumpleaños and I have used it every year since. Happy birthday.

From family

  • Feliz cumpleaños, cariño. Every year you make us prouder.

  • Te queremos. Happy birthday, and many more of them.

  • Feliz cumpleaños. The whole family is raising a glass to you today.

  • We sang Las Mañanitas in the kitchen this morning. You would have hated it. Feliz cumpleaños.

From a group

  • Feliz cumpleaños from all of us. We argued about the cake and chose well.

  • Happy birthday. Feliz cumpleaños. The group chat has been planning this longer than you know.

  • Muchas felicidades. We are glad you were born, and glad you share the birthday drinks.

  • Feliz cumpleaños. Some of us needed a reminder. All of us mean it.

Short

  • Feliz cumpleaños.

  • Feliz cumpleaños, amigo. Have a good one.

  • Muchas felicidades. Many happy returns.

  • Happy birthday. Feliz cumpleaños. That covers it.

What to leave out

Do not write a whole paragraph in Spanish if you barely speak it. One phrase used well sits better than a block of text with errors in it.

Do not use feliz cumpleaños as filler at the end of an English message. Put it where it carries weight, not as an afterthought after three sentences.

Do not assume the person you are writing for speaks Spanish. If the phrase is for their benefit, say so. If it is for yours, still keep it short.

Avoid pasting in lyrics from the birthday song unless you are actually going to sing. In writing they read as odd.

One card, everyone signs it

Set the birthday, send one link, and it opens for them on the day.

  1. 01

    Set the date.

    Their birthday. The card opens that morning and not before.

  2. 02

    Ask everyone.

    Friends, family, the group. Each person gets one link and writes once, in a browser.

  3. 03

    They read every message.

    Signed with a name. Feliz cumpleaños from all of them at once.

Create a card

Questions

How do you say happy birthday in Spanish?

Feliz cumpleaños is the standard phrase. Muchas felicidades, meaning many congratulations, is also common and works well in a card.

Can I mix Spanish and English in a birthday card?

Yes. One Spanish phrase in an otherwise English message lands well if Spanish is part of the person's life. Keep the English around it clear so the phrase stands out.

What else can I write besides feliz cumpleaños?

Te quiero means I love you and works for close family. Que tengas un gran día means have a great day. Both read warmly without needing translation.

Part of group birthday card.

More guides

Somebody has a day coming up.

Create a card

Everyone's words in one card.