Happy Birthday in French
This free audio lesson will teach you the two 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!
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How to sing 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.
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Important! Remember What You Learn
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
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