Happy Birthday in Spanish

Happy Birthday in Spanish

Celebrations, of any kind, usually gather large groups of people in Latin America, and Spanish birthdays are no exceptions to this rule. Latin American people like to make big parties and celebrate among friends and family.

In this lesson, you will learn some of the most common phrases in order to congratulate a birthday person, the Spanish Happy Birthday song (and some of its variations in different countries) and vocabulary when at the party!

Our Rocket Record feature is your best ally in order to practice and perfect your pronunciation of Happy Birthday in Spanish, so please be sure to use it while taking the lesson; listen to the audio and follow the Spanish pronunciation. Please keep in mind that speaking aloud will help you feel more comfortable with your pronunciation.

First, the full "Happy Birthday" song in Spanish

The lyrics to Happy Birthday in Spanish

Feliz cumpleaños a ti
Feliz cumpleaños a ti
Feliz cumpleaños querido/a (name)
Feliz cumpleaños a ti
Ya queremos pastel
Ya queremos pastel Aunque sea un pedacito
Pero queremos pastel

In some countries, the song may vary a bit, here are some examples:

Colombia:

Cumpleaños feliz
Te deseamos a ti
Cumpleaños (name)
Cumpleaños feliz

Que los cumpla feliz
Que los vuelva a cumplir
Que los siga cumpliendo
Hasta el año 3000

Chile:

Cumpleaños feliz
Te deseamos a ti
Feliz cumpleaños (name)
Que los cumplas feliz

Spain:

Cumpleaños feliz
Cumpleaños feliz
Te deseamos (name)
Cumpleaños feliz

Las mañanitas

There is a popular song called Las mañanitas. This song is usually sung with all the guests gathered around the birthday person before they blow out the candles.

Estas son las mañanitas
Que cantaba el rey David
A las muchachas/os bonitas/os
Se las cantamos así
Despierta mi bien despierta
Mira que ya amaneció
Ya los pajarillos cantan
La luna ya se metió

El día en que tú naciste
Nacieron todas las flores
Y En la pila del bautismo
Cantaron los ruiseñores
Ya viene amaneciendo
Ya la luz del dia nos dió
Levantate de mañana
Mira que ya amaneció

Useful Phrases

Here are some helpful words that will come in handy at a Spanish Birthday party:

The length of the celebration may vary according to the type of person and where they celebrate it. When the party is for children, there is usually a piñata (a clay figure in different shapes, that contains candy). It hangs from a rope and usually an adult moves it up and down.

Children are blindfolded and spun around; then they are given a wooden stick which is used in order to break the piñata. People shout in order to confuse the children, shouting it is up or down, left or right.

Here’s some phrases you might hear in at a birthday parties for children:

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

Can’t get enough of Spanish? Here are some more free Spanish lessons to boost your Spanish:

• Learn how to speak about hobbies in Spanish and things you enjoy.
• Get to know your house in Spanish!
• Preparing for a job interview in Spanish?
• Click here for the lesson on money in Spanish.

¡Hasta la próxima!

Mauricio Evlampieff: Rocket Spanish