Happy Birthday in French

This free audio lesson will teach you the 2 common ways to say Happy Birthday in French, (Joyeux anniversaire ! and Bon anniversaire !) as well as how to sing Happy Birthday in French! And discover a few other words and expressions that are used in the context of a French birthday party.

You can test your pronunciation with our free voice recognition software! Listen to the audio and follow the French pronunciation. It's a good idea to practice each French expression aloud, and before long you'll be comfortable with pronouncing these French words and phrases!

How to sing Happy Birthday in French!

The Happy birthday song in French
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Happy Birthday in French

How to say Happy birthday in French

Unsurprisingly, French people love to have parties and to celebrate, and in particular they appreciate anniversaries and gifts!

To wish someone a happy birthday, French people will use the expression joyeux anniversaire or bon anniversaire.

Important! Perfect Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

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Joyeux anniversaire !
Happy birthday!
Bon anniversaire !
Happy birthday! (Literally; A good birthday!)
Un anniversaire
A birthday

Important! Remember What You Learn

You'll put a lot of time into learning French, so we make sure you can remember it all by including fun and engaging activities at the bottom of every lesson.

Joyeux is happy, whereas bon translates simply to good.

Since bon is followed with a vowel, it is pronounced like bonne, the feminine form of the adjective. This pronunciation can be a little confusing, and children or inattentive people will sometimes mistakenly write bonne anniversaire.

French people will of course offer presents, and eat a cake after the candles have been blown by the aging person. A lot of photos generally immortalize the event,and people sing "Joyeux anniversaire !" to the tune of "Happy birthday to you!". Some champagne is often poured in flutes!

More about having a Happy birthday in French

Meilleurs vœux pour votre anniversaire !
Best wishes on your birthday
Le cadeau
The present
La bougie
The candle
Du Champagne
Some champagne
Une coupe de champagne
A flute of champagne
Le gâteau
The cake
Le gâteau au chocolat
The chocolate cake
Birthday in French

That’s it for today’s French lesson on saying Happy Birthday in French. I hope you enjoyed it, that you learned new expressions and improved your pronunciation!

From here why not do a lesson on describing your family in French?

À bientôt !

Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team

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Let's get you talking in French.We love French people and French culture - from buttery croissants and delicate macarons to gorgeous gardens and gilded châteaux! And there's no better way to connect with them than by learning le français.

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