How do you say happy birthday in Portuguese?
Say Parabéns!, the most common way, or Feliz aniversário!. Add Muitas felicidades! or Tudo de bom! ("All the best!") for a warmer message.
| Portuguese | Meaning | In CiaoSpeak |
|---|---|---|
| Parabéns! | Congratulations! | Unit 25 |
| Feliz aniversário! | Happy birthday! | Not in the course |
| Muitas felicidades! | All the best! | Not in the course |
| Tudo de bom! | All the best! | Not in the course |
| o aniversário | birthday | Unit 8 |
What is the Brazilian birthday song?
The Brazilian birthday song is Parabéns pra você, sung to the same tune as "Happy Birthday to You". It starts Parabéns pra você, nesta data querida ("Happy birthday to you, on this dear day").
How do you ask when someone's birthday is?
Ask Quando é o seu aniversário? ("When is your birthday?"). Ana asks you this in CiaoSpeak's Speak tab:
Language exchange
Quando é o seu aniversário?
When is your birthday?
É dia cinco de maio.
It's May 5.
| Portuguese | Meaning | In CiaoSpeak |
|---|---|---|
| a festa de aniversário | birthday party | Unit 27 |
What mistakes do English speakers make with happy birthday?
The common mistake is thinking aniversário only means "anniversary"; in Brazil it's the everyday word for birthday.
- Thinking aniversário means only "anniversary". It's "birthday" first; a wedding anniversary is aniversário de casamento.
- Thinking Parabéns is only "congratulations". On a birthday, it is the greeting.
How can you practice saying it out loud?
Say it to someone who answers. In CiaoSpeak's Brazilian Portuguese course, the lessons teach Parabéns! with a recording in a Brazilian accent, and in the Speak tab a character in a real scene (a São Paulo baker, a Rio ride-app driver, your language-exchange partner Ana) talks to you and you answer out loud. The app tells you whether a Brazilian would understand you, with one gentle fix if not. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like. More phrases: how to say everyday things in Portuguese.