While it’s less common for the Geburtstagskind to pay for everyone, they must at least cover their share of the bill. While Brits, Americans, and other English-speaking natives are used to being treated by colleagues, it’s the opposite in Germany. Something that English speakers might find odd is that when it’s your birthday in Germany, you’re expected to bring the cake in for your coworkers. This type of celebration is known as reinfeiren, which means something like “partying into the early hours of someone’s birthday”.Īs you can see, there’s no word for this in English. Only then can guests wish the Geburtstagskind (“birthday boy/girl”) a happy birthday. When you arrive, don’t say happy birthday. You might find yourself invited to a party for someone who’s birthday is the day after. Oddly, though, Germans still like to begin the birthday celebrations the evening before. Sounds obvious, but even stuff like “oh, happy birthday for Thursday” is bad luck for Germans, particularly those of an older generation. One thing you need to know about birthdays in Germany is that you never wish a German happy birthday before their special day. You don’t even need to know the name of the person to sing it, perfect for if you’re a plus one to a German party full of strangers. Luckily, it’s not too hard to learn (three lines are exactly the same!) so you shouldn’t have too much trouble with it. To really impress your German friends, take the time to learn the German version and whip it out at a party or showcase your language skills by joining in when others start singing it. Many Germans have a good grasp of English, and as such the English birthday song has made its way unchanged into the German language.īut while it’s common for Germans to sing the English song, there is a version written in German that follows the same tune. How do I sing the happy birthday song in German? Hessen (Hesse): Isch gratelier Dir aach zum Geburtstach!.Köln (Cologne): Alles Juute zum Jeburtstaach!.Bayern (Bavaria): Ois Guade zu Deim Geburdstog!.Berlin: Alles Jute ooch zum Jeburtstach!.To make sure you’ve got all possible bases covered, here’s a short list of birthday phrases in a variety of regional German dialects.Īll of them simply translate as “happy birthday”. Given the various regional dialects and accents around Germany, you might encounter a birthday wish which sounds slightly odd to you.ĭon’t panic, it may just simply be a heartfelt message in a local dialect. They might sound a little out of place if said to a random coworker! Birthday expressions from around Germany With all these messages, it’s important to remember to keep them among close friends and family. Is the person with an upcoming birthday close to you?ĭo you want to wish a happy birthday to a dear friend, relative, or partner?įor a more personal, familiar touch, there are a number of extended phrases that you can use. To do this, Germans simply add nachträglich.įor instance, both Herzlichen Glückwunsch nachträglich and Alles Gute (zum Geburtstag) nachträglich mean happy belated birthday. If you’re a little late to the party, you might need to wish someone a happy belated birthday. It’s a little formal, but still fairly common among Germans. In fact, its closest equivalent in English would be “many happy returns”. The extended German phrase Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag is another way of saying happy birthday. However, there are other ways of expressing happy birthday that you should be aware of. You’ll find this plastered all over Facebook timelines and Instagram stories, so it’s certainly the most common form. Often, people shorten this to just Alles Gute! The main way to say happy birthday in German is Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!. While there is a general/common phrase, there are also a number of alternatives that may crop up, depending on who you’re talking to. Saying happy birthday in German is a little more complicated than you might think. I’ll cover how to both say and sing happy birthday in German, as well as explore a few German birthday traditions and vocabulary. To avoid that embarrassing feeling of not knowing the words while everyone around you is merrily singing away, I’ve written this article to guide you through German birthdays. You may even be present at a birthday party for them, so you’re going to have to learn the birthday song. And these speakers will all have birthdays. Knowing how to say happy birthday is an important part of learning German.Īfter all, birthdays are always going to happen, right?Īs you progress through learning German, you’ll no doubt meet more and more native speakers.
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