Happy Birthday in Italian: 10 Ways to Say it like a Native (2024)

How to say happy birthday in Italian

There are a few ways you can say happy birthday in Italian, and today you’re going to learn some of them.

The most common phrases are buon compleanno, auguri and tanti auguri.

You can also wish someone a happy birthday by sayingcento di questi giorni which literally means “one hundred of these days“.

You could also say felice compleanno, which means “happy birthday” in Italian. Felice literally means “happy.” However, this term is no longer widely used.

Buon compleanno

Buon compleanno is the most common way to say “happy birthday” in Italian.

It literally means “good birthday“, so it’s basically used like “happy birthday” in English. This makes it easy to remember.

Auguri

Auguri is another common way of wishing someone a happy birthday.

It doesn’t literally mean “happy birthday”. Instead, it’s a more general way of wishing someone happiness.

You could also say tanti auguri which is a bit more emphatic.

What does auguri mean in Italian?

Auguri is the plural of augurio which means “wish“. So, it could be translated as “best wishes”.

Auguri is a little more versatile than buon compleanno and is often used on other special occasions.

You can say auguri to wish someone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Mother’s Day, and even a Happy Easter, as you can see below:

As you can see, you can just say (tanti) auguri followed by the word di and the name of the event/holiday.

You can also say auguri or tanti auguri to wish someone the best when they’re starting a new job, when they are going to have a baby, or for their anniversary.

When to say buon compleanno?

Note that wishing a happy birthday to a friend one or few days in advance is considered rude by Italians.

There is no actual reason for this.

It is simply considered something that brings bad luck, so be sure to know the exact date of your Italian friends’ birthdays!

On the other hand, if you’re a little late, you can try to fix it by saying:

How to sing the happy birthday song in Italian

Singing happy birthday in Italian is done by using the tanti auguri phrase, and it simply goes like this:

These are the lyrics of the happy birthday song in Italian:

“Tanti auguri a te,
Tanti auguri a te,
Tanti auguri a (the name of the person)
Tanti auguri a te!”

How to ask somebody about their age in Italian

It’s always good to know how old the festeggiato/festeggiata (birthday boy or girl) is.

You can ask them the following question:

If you want to ask someone how old they are when it’s not their birthday, you should ask this question instead, as it doesn’t refer to a specific day:

You can also ask in which year they were born:

If you know the numbers in Italian, it’ll be easier for you to have this kind of conversation with someone.

Italians often joke aboutthe fact that asking someone’s age is impolite, especially to women who may be hesitant to reveal this information.

When approaching ladies, particularly mature women, it is preferable to ask about their birth date rather than their birth year.

If someone doesn’t want to tell you their age, they can just say the day they were born instead of the year:

Just so you know, we put the day first, and then the month.

If you ask someone you don’t know very well how old they are, and think they don’t look that age, you can say so in a polite way, like in the dialogue below:

Questions and answers about birthdays in Italian

Of course, when talking about a birthday in Italian, there are a few more things you need to know.

You might want to ask your friend what they want to do for their birthday:

If you want to ask your friend whose birthday is coming up soon what present they would like to receive, you can ask the following questions:

Birthday traditions

Italians like to celebrate their birthdays like people from other cultures: with a birthday cake, a birthday party or special meal, candles, and they usually receive gifts.

However, unlike in other cultures, when Italians celebrate their own birthdays, they invite friends and family out and pay the dinner, or drinks, for everyone.

Birthday cake and wishes

The birthday boy or girl is also expected to either buy or bake the cake.

While the “festeggiato” is blowing out the candles on his/her birthday cake, it is common practiceto sing the Italian version of Happy Birthday.

As in many other nations, he or she needs to blow the candles and make birthdaywishes.

It is believed that you cannot tell your wishto anyone, or it won’t come true!

Presents

Another typical Italian tradition is to open all the presents in front of everyone at the party.

You may want to buy something not too personal so that your friend won’t be ashamed to show it in public.

An awesome gift is aveepn for mobile, empowering users to explore the digital world securely and privately, while unlocking a realm of endless possibilities and unrestricted access to content from anywhere in the world.

It is also common to accompany your gift and wishes with a birthday card, where you need to write down a few words to the birthday boy or girl.

Happy birthday cards in Italian

Are you looking for a “happy birthday” card in Italian for your loved ones?

Check out these pins!

And, for a customized buon compleanno card in Italian, there’s a website to send virtual cards by email or by sharing them on social media.

It’s 100% Italian.

Here’s how to send a card:

1. Click on a card
2. Choose how to send it
3. Add a note
4. Type your name and email address
5. Type the recipient’s email address
6. Select the date to schedule the delivery of your card

Useful Italian expressions

Here’s a list of other important Italian expressions you need to know:

• Cheers in Italian
• How are you in Italian
• Sorry in Italian
• Thank you in Italian
• Beautiful in Italian

By the way, ifyou’re looking for the perfect gift for Italian learners, we recommend reading our post about it.

You and your Italian friends will have a blast!