Vocabulary related to birthdays in French

Everyone loves celebrating birthdays. Some like to party, some like to go out and enjoy themselves. In this article, we take you through some words you can use in French to talk about birthdays. Let’s learn them for future use.

1. joyeux anniversaire

Meaning: Said or written to a person who is celebrating his or her birthday in order to convey the good wishes of the speaker or writer

English: happy birthday

Example:”Joyeux anniversaire”, ils ont tous crié alors qu’il entrait dans la pièce. (“Happy Birthday”, they all shouted as he entered the room.)

2. un anniversaire

Meaning: the day in each year which is the same date as the one when you were born

English: birthday

Example:Elle a apporté un gâteau personnalisé de deux kilos pour mon anniversaire. (She brought a two kilogram customised cake for my birthday.)

3. une bougie

Meaning: a stick-shaped piece of wax with a wick in the middle of it that produces light as it slowly burns

English: candle

Example: Elle était fatiguée mais la bougie magique ne se contentait pas de souffler.

(She got tired but the magic candle wouldn’t just blow.)

4.un gâteau

Meaning: a sweet food made with a mixture of flour, eggs, fat, and sugar

English: cake

Example: Ma mère n’aime plus recevoir de gâteaux pour les anniversaires. (My mother doesn’t like getting cakes for birthdays anymore.)

5. souffler

Meaning :to send forth air with or as with the mouth 

English: to blow

Example: Elle a essayé de souffler la bougie avant les autres enfants. (She tried blowing the candle before the other kids.)

6. faire un vœu

Meaning :to wish for something 

English: make a wish

Example: Il faut toujours fermer les yeux et faire un vœu. (One should always close their eyes and make a wish.)

7. la surprise

Meaning: an unexpected event, or the feeling caused when something unexpected happens

English: surprise

Example: Ma grand-mère était si heureuse de la surprise qu’elle a eue pour son 75e anniversaire. (My grandma was so happy about the surprise she got for her 75th birthday.)

8. une fête

Meaning: a social event at which a group of people meet to talk, eat, drink, dance, etc., often in order to celebrate a special occasion:

English: party

Example: Pourquoi n’organisons-nous pas une fête pour notre enfant d’un an ? (Why don’t we throw a party for our one year old?)

9. fêter

Meaning : to take part in special enjoyable activities in order to show that a particular occasion is important

English: to celebrate

Example: Ils sont tous partis fêter leur victoire. (They’ve all gone to celebrate their victory.)

10. offrir

Meaning: to get something by paying money for it(for someone)

English: to buy (for someone)

Example:J’ai offert à ma mère un très grand sac en cadeau.. (I gave my mother a very big bag as a gift.)

11. un cadeau

Meaning :something that you are given, without asking for it, on a special occasion, especially to show friendship, or to say thank you

English: a present

Example: Je ne sais plus quel cadeau acheter pour mon mari.(I get so confused as to what present to buy for my husband.)

12. un ballon

Meaning: a small, very thin rubber bag that you blow air into or fill with a light gas until it is round in shape, used for decoration at parties or as a children’s toy

English: a balloon

Example: Tous les ballons ont éclaté un par un lorsqu’elle est entrée dans la pièce.(All the balloons burst one by one as she entered the room.)  

13. décorer

Meaning: to add something to an object or place, especially in order to make it more attractive

English: to decorate

Example:Ils ont décoré la salle avec des ballons et des festons pour la fête. (They decorated the room with balloons and festoons for the party.) 

14. inviter

Meaning: to ask or request someone to go to an event

English: to invite

Example: Ma mère a oublié d’inviter son amie à sa fête d’anniversaire. (My mother forgot to invite her friend to her anniversary party.)

I hope you enjoyed learning different words to talk about birthdays in French. The next time you want to talk about birthdays use these words. For more such vocabulary, keep reading our blog. You can easily learn French online with us. Stay tuned for more interesting blogs.