Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Congratulate someone on their birthday
• Part 2 of 3: Talk about birthdays
• Part 3 of 3: Sing the birthday song

The most common way to wish someone a happy birthday in Italian is "buon compleanno". However, there are several ways you can congratulate someone on their birthday. In this article, in addition to several congratulations in Italian, you will also find an Italian birthday song.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Congratulate someone on their birthday

1. Shout “buon compleanno!This is the most common way to wish someone a happy birthday in Italian. The literal translation of this congratulation is "happy birthday".
   • "Buon" means "good" and "compleanno" means "birthday".
   • This congratulation is pronounced as follows: “bwon kom-pleh-ahn-noh”.
2. Shout “tanti auguri!The translation of this congratulation is not "happy birthday." The Italian word for "birthday" ("compleanno") does not appear in this expression at all. "Happy Birthday" is the correct translation of "tanti auguri" and this is also a popular congratulation to congratulate someone on his or her birthday.
   • "Tanti" means "much" and "auguri" is the plural form of the noun "augurio". The translation of "augurio" is "wish".
   • This congratulation is pronounced as follows: “tahn-tie ahw-goe-rie”.
3. Try “cento di questi giorni!This is another example of a congratulation in Italian in which the word birthday is not explicitly mentioned. With this you wish the birthday girl another hundred birthdays, or a long life.
   • "Cento" means "one hundred", "di" means "of", "questi" means "these" and "giorni" means "days". The literal translation of this congratulation is "a hundred of these days!"
   • This congratulation is expressed as follows: “chehn-toh die kweh-stie jeohr-nie”.
   • This congratulation can also be shortened to "centsanni" and means "hundred years!"
     • This shorter variant is pronounced like this: “chehn-tah-nie”.

Part 2 of 3: Talk about birthdays

1. Address your words to the "festeggiato." This Italian term is the same as the Dutch term "birthday girl" or "birthday boy". The literal translation of the word is "the celebrated".
   • The word "festeggiato" is derived from the verb "celebrate", "festeggiare".
   • You pronounce this word like this: “feh-steh-jia-toh”.
2. Ask the birthday boy or girl for his or her age with “quanti anni hai?This is an indirect way of asking someone how old they are. The literal translation of this question is not "how old are you?" Literally this question means "how many years do you have?"
   • "Quanti" means "how many", "anni" means "years" and "hai" means "have" in the second person singular.
   • You pronounce this question as follows: “kwahn-tie ahn-nie aai
3. Describe an advanced age with “essere avanti con gli anni.Loosely translated, this sentence means that someone reaches a good age and it is a neat way to indicate that the year old is getting older and wiser.
   • "Essere" means "being", "avanti" means "forward", "con" means "with", "gli" means "the", and "anni" means "years". Together these words congratulate the following translation: "move forward with the years".
   • You pronounce this expression like this: "ehs-ser-eh ah-vahn-tie kohn ghlie ahn-nie".
4. Announce your own birthday with “oggi compio gli anni.Indirectly you say the following: “Today is my birthday”, but the literal translation is “today I complete the years”.
   • "Oggi" means "today", "compio" is the first person singular form of the verb "make / accomplish" ("compiere"), "gli" means "the" and "anni" means "years".
   • You pronounce this sentence like this: "oh-jee kohm-pioh ghlee ahn-nie".
5. Tell your own age with the “sto per compiere ___ anni” form. You usually use this phrase to indicate how old you are. This phrase is used more often by younger than older generations. The translation of this sentence is: "I will live ___ years old."
   • You can say how old you are by adding your new age to the sentence. For example, if you turn 18, you can say the following: "Sto per compiere diciotto anni."
   • "Sto" means "I am", "per" means "for", "compiere" means "make" or "accomplish", and "anni" means "years".
   • Pronounce this expression like this: “stoh pehr kohm-pier-eh ___ ahn-nie”.

Part 3 of 3: Sing the birthday song

1. Use the usual melody. Although the words are different, you can sing the Italian version to the melody of the English "happy birthday".
2. Sing "tanti auguri" a number of times. The most common text of the birthday song does not contain the word birthday. Instead, you use the indirect phrase to wish someone good luck.
   • This expression is followed by "a te" ("ah tie"), which is "to you" in the English version.
   • The lyrics of the birthday song are as follows:
     • "Tanti auguri a te,"
     • "Tanti auguri a te,"
     • "Tanti auguri a (NAME),"
     • "Tanti auguri a te!"
3. Consider singing "buon compleanno." Although this variant is less common, it is still possible to use the congratulation "happy birthday" instead of the English "happy birthday" in the standard version.
   • As with the "tanti auguri" version, the expression should be followed by "a te" ("ah tie"), which is "to you" in the English version.
   • In this version, the text is as follows:
     • "Buon compleanno a te,"
     • "Buon compleanno a te,"
     • "Buon compleanno a (NAME),"
     • "Buon compleanno a te!"