Joyeux anniversaire !

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French Expression

Meaning	Happy birthday!
Literally	Joyous birthday!
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[zhwa yeu zah ni vehr sehr]
IPA		[[ʒwa jø za ni vɛʀ sɛʀ]
(note the required liaison between the two words)

Usage notes: How do you say "happy birthday" in French? Joyeux anniversaire !

Par exemple…

Joyeux anniversaire !		Happy birthday!
Je te souhaite un très joyeux anniversaire.		I wish you a very happy birthday.

Birthday song

The French birthday song is sung to the same tune as its English counterpart:

Joyeux anniversaire !
Joyeux anniversaire !
Joyeux an – ni – ver – sai – re !*
Joyeux anniversaire !

*If you like, you can quickly sing the birthday person’s name here.

 Informally, you can apocope joyeux anniversaire to joyeux anniv.

Synonyms and related expressions

• Bon anniversaire
• Bonne fête
• Souffler ses bougies

 Related features

• Dates
• Gifts for French lovers
• Numbers
• Te and other indirect object adjectives
• Zodiac signs

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