There's one rule about German birthdays that matters more than any phrase: never wish someone a happy birthday before the day. It's said to bring bad luck, and plenty of Germans who aren't superstitious about anything else will stop you mid-sentence. Late is fine. Early is not.
On the day itself, two phrases cover almost everything. The rest of this page is for cards, colleagues, replies, and all the other occasions that call for congratulations.
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday!
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Congratulations on your birthday!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!
Lots of love on your birthday!
Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag!
Congratulations!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
Belated happy birthday!
Nachträglich alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Happy thirtieth!
Alles Gute zum Dreißigsten!
I wish you all the best.
Ich wünsche dir alles Gute.
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Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Alles Gute or Herzlichen Glückwunsch? Both are right for anyone. Alles Gute zum Geburtstag is a wish, Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag is a congratulation, and Germans use them interchangeably. Alles Liebe is warmer, for family and close friends.
Nachträglich means "after the fact". If you missed the day, Nachträglich alles Gute! puts it right, and nobody minds.
More to Say on the Day
Stay healthy!
Bleib gesund!
Have a lovely celebration!
Feier schön!
Enjoy your day!
Genieß deinen Tag!
Let yourself be celebrated!
Lass dich feiern!
Here's to you!
Auf dich!
How old are you now?
Wie alt bist du geworden?
Did you get nice presents?
Hast du schöne Geschenke bekommen?
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Bleib gesund!
Gesundheit comes up in nearly every German birthday wish, especially for older people. Hauptsache gesund, "the main thing is to be healthy", is something you'll hear at every family party.
In a Card or to a Colleague
I wish you all the best on your birthday.
Zu Ihrem Geburtstag wünsche ich Ihnen alles Gute.
All the best for the year ahead.
Alles Gute für das neue Lebensjahr.
Health, happiness and success.
Gesundheit, Glück und Erfolg.
May all your wishes come true.
Mögen alle deine Wünsche in Erfüllung gehen.
With best wishes
Mit den besten Wünschen
Warm regards
Herzliche Grüße
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Zu Ihrem Geburtstag wünsche ich Ihnen alles Gute.
Das neue Lebensjahr is "your new year of life", the year that starts on your birthday. It sounds formal in English and completely normal in a German card.
At work, a card usually goes round the office for everyone to sign. A short line and your name is enough: Alles Gute! Anna.
Saying Thank You
Thank you for the good wishes!
Vielen Dank für die Glückwünsche!
Thanks, that's kind of you.
Danke, das ist lieb von dir.
Thanks for thinking of me.
Danke, dass du an mich gedacht hast.
Thank you for the present.
Danke für das Geschenk.
You shouldn't have!
Das wäre doch nicht nötig gewesen!
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Vielen Dank für die Glückwünsche!
Congratulations for Other Occasions
Congratulations on your wedding!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Hochzeit!
Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Geburt eurer Tochter!
Congratulations on passing your exam!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur bestandenen Prüfung!
Congratulations on your new job!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum neuen Job!
Congratulations on your driving licence!
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Führerschein!
All the best in your new home!
Alles Gute im neuen Zuhause!
I'm so happy for you!
Ich freue mich so für dich!
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Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur Hochzeit!
Zum or zur? It follows the noun's gender: zum for der and das nouns, as in zum Geburtstag and zum Job, and zur for die nouns, as in zur Hochzeit and zur Prüfung. The verb is gratulieren, and it takes the same pattern: Ich gratuliere dir zum Geburtstag.
Birthday Words
birthday
der Geburtstag
birthday boy or girl
das Geburtstagskind
present
das Geschenk
birthday card
die Geburtstagskarte
birthday cake
der Geburtstagskuchen
candle
die Kerze
party
die Feier
guest
der Gast
invitation
die Einladung
to celebrate
feiern
to invite
einladen
to unwrap
auspacken
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der Geburtstag
Geburtstagskind is used for adults too. A sixty-year-old is das Geburtstagskind for a day, and nobody finds that odd.
How Germans Celebrate
Reinfeiern. Because early wishes are bad luck, many people celebrate into the birthday: the party starts the evening before, and at midnight everyone congratulates the birthday person. The verb is reinfeiern.
The birthday person pays. If you invite friends to a bar for your birthday, the first round, or the whole evening, is on you. At work, you bring the cake. More on that in phrases for work.
Round birthdays are big. The 18th, when you come of age, and every birthday ending in zero get a larger party, often planned months ahead with speeches and a hired room.
The songs. You'll hear the familiar birthday tune with German words, Zum Geburtstag viel Glück, and at larger parties Hoch soll er leben or Hoch soll sie leben, sung with glasses raised.
Thirty and unmarried. In parts of northern Germany, a man who turns thirty unmarried has to sweep the steps of the town hall or the church, and a woman has to polish door handles, while friends make more mess and watch. A kiss sets them free.