Intro.
Birthdays are celebrations that unite people of all ages and cultures. In Italy, as elsewhere, they represent a moment of festivity, conviviality and affection, where friends and family gather to celebrate the person having their birthday. Alongside the cake, gifts and candles, birthday wishes cannot be missing, which in Italian take different forms depending on the context, the degree of familiarity and the age of the birthday celebrant.
Knowing the typical expressions of Italian birthday wishes doesn't just mean enriching your vocabulary: it means entering the heart of Italian culture, where language intertwines with collective rituals, symbolic gestures and small traditions. From "Buon compleanno!" (Happy Birthday!) to more affectionate formulas like "Tantissimi auguri!" (Very many wishes!), up to formal expressions like "Le auguro un sereno compleanno" (I wish you a peaceful birthday), each phrase carries a different tone, capable of conveying closeness, respect or shared joy. Some birthdays also have an even more special value, like turning 18, which marks the entrance into adult life, or 30, 40 and 50, milestones that mark different phases of existence and deserve even more solemn wishes.
Learning to use these expressions doesn't just mean knowing the vocabulary: it's a way to enter Italian culture, made of conviviality, affection and small rituals.
1. Buon Compleanno! - Happy Birthday in Italian
The most direct and universal formula is: Buon compleanno!
It's suitable for everyone: friends, relatives, colleagues, acquaintances. It's neither too formal nor too affectionate, so it remains always appropriate. It can be reinforced with a warmer tone of voice, with a smile or by accompanying it with a hug or a handshake.
It corresponds to the English "Happy Birthday!"
Example:
A: Oggi è il compleanno di Luca.
B: Davvero? Allora… buon compleanno, Luca!
A: Today is Luca's birthday.
B: Really? Then... happy birthday, Luca!
2. Italian Birthday Expressions with "Auguri"
The noun "augurio" (wish) has an ancient origin: it comes from the Latin "augurium", which indicated omens drawn from the flight of birds. From there, the idea of wishing something positive for the future.
These formulas, based on the word "auguri", are very widespread:
- Tanti auguri di buon compleanno!
(Many happy birthday wishes!)
→ more complete and solemn - Tanti auguri!
(Many wishes!)
→ informal, also used alone - Auguri!
(Wishes!)
→ very brief and universal, perfect in quick messages - Auguroni!
(Big wishes!)
→ with the reinforcing suffix -oni, expresses warmth - Un mondo di auguri!
(A world of wishes!)
→ hyperbolic, very affectionate - Cento di questi giorni!
(A hundred of these days!)
→ traditional formula, often used by adults or elderly people; means "I wish you to live many other birthdays like this one"
"Auguri!" (Wishes!) is a versatile expression: it's not only used for birthdays, but also for Christmas, Easter, name days, graduations, weddings and other celebrations.
3. Italian Birthday Wishes with "Ti auguro" / "Le auguro"
When you want to personalize a message, you use the verb "augurare" (to wish):
- Ti auguro un buon compleanno.
(I wish you a happy birthday.) - Ti auguro di trascorrere una giornata speciale.
(I wish you to spend a special day.) - Ti auguro un anno pieno di felicità, salute e amore.
(I wish you a year full of happiness, health and love.) - Ti auguro che i tuoi sogni si realizzino.
(I wish your dreams come true.)
"Augurare" is a regular verb of the first conjugation in -are. The construction always requires an indirect pronoun, which indicates the person to whom the wishes are made. Depending on the context, the pronoun can be "ti" (informal) or "le" (formal):
– "ti" = indirect pronoun of second person singular (you). Used in all informal or confidential contexts: with friends, family, colleagues of equal level.
Example:
Ciao Marco, ti auguro buon compleanno!
Hi Marco, I wish you a happy birthday!
– "le" = indirect pronoun of courtesy, equivalent to the formal pronoun "Lei". In written texts (letters, emails, cards) it's normally used with a capital L to emphasize respect. It's the typical choice with older people, in professional situations or when there's no direct familiarity.
Example:
Gentile Dottoressa Rossi, Le auguro un sereno compleanno.
Dear Dr. Rossi, I wish you a peaceful birthday.
4. Italian Birthday Wishes with Numbers
When you want to be even more precise and give special meaning to the number of years, you use a formula like this:
- Auguri per il tuo sedicesimo compleanno!
(Wishes for your sixteenth birthday!) - Tanti auguri per il tuo trentesimo compleanno!
(Many wishes for your thirtieth birthday!) - Buon cinquantesimo compleanno!
(Happy fiftieth birthday!)
This form with the ordinal number emphasizes the importance of the age being reached, especially when it comes to "special" birthdays (18, 30, 40, 50, etc.).
Ordinal numbers in Italian are used not only to indicate position in a series (first, second, third...), but also in expressions related to birthdays, when you want to emphasize a particular age. The general rule involves eliminating the final vowel of the cardinal number and adding the suffix "-esimo": so "venti" (twenty) becomes "ventesimo" (twentieth), "quaranta" (forty) becomes "quarantesimo" (fortieth) and "ottanta" (eighty) becomes "ottantesimo" (eightieth). However, there are some exceptions: when the number ends in "-tre" or "-sei", the accent or vowel is respectively preserved, as in "ventitré" (twenty-three) → "ventitreesimo" (twenty-third) and "ventisei" (twenty-six) → "ventiseiesimo" (twenty-sixth). Different is the case of numbers from one to ten, which have their own forms and don't follow the general rule: primo (first), secondo (second), terzo (third), quarto (fourth), quinto (fifth), sesto (sixth), settimo (seventh), ottavo (eighth), nono (ninth), decimo (tenth).
Examples:
Auguri per il tuo primo compleanno! – (per i bambini)
Wishes for your first birthday! – (for children)
Tanti auguri per il tuo decimo compleanno!
Many wishes for your tenth birthday!
5. Special Italian Birthday Celebrations
In Italy some birthdays have particular symbolic value. It's not just about "changing age", but about life thresholds that mark social, emotional or professional transitions. For these occasions, birthday wishes become more targeted and often more solemn.
18 Years - Coming of Age
Turning 18 is a very important milestone, because it marks the official entrance into adult life: you get your driver's license, voting rights and new legal responsibilities.
- Tanti auguri per il tuo diciottesimo compleanno!
(Many wishes for your eighteenth birthday!) - Benvenuto nella vita adulta: auguri per i tuoi 18 anni!
(Welcome to adult life: wishes for your 18 years!) - Che i tuoi 18 anni siano l'inizio di un'avventura straordinaria.
(May your 18 years be the beginning of an extraordinary adventure.)
Often the 18th birthday party is one of the biggest and most organized, similar to a "rite of passage".
30 Years - The Beginning of Maturity
30 years mark the beginning of a new phase, in which you've often already entered the working world or are forming new families.
- Auguri per i tuoi splendidi 30 anni!
(Wishes for your splendid 30 years!) - Buon compleanno e benvenuto negli "enta"!
(Happy birthday and welcome to the "thirties"!) - Che i tuoi 30 siano pieni di realizzazioni e felicità.
(May your 30s be full of achievements and happiness.)
40 Years - Full Maturity
At 40 it's often said, in a joking tone, that "life really begins".
- Tanti auguri per i tuoi magnifici 40 anni!
(Many wishes for your magnificent 40 years!) - A 40 anni inizia una nuova giovinezza: auguri!
(At 40 a new youth begins: wishes!) - Che i tuoi 40 ti portino ancora più soddisfazioni.
(May your 40s bring you even more satisfaction.)
50 Years - Half a Century of Life
The fiftieth birthday is an important milestone, often celebrated with a special party.
- Auguri per i tuoi 50 anni: mezzo secolo di esperienza e saggezza!
(Wishes for your 50 years: half a century of experience and wisdom!) - Cinquant'anni e non sentirli! Tanti auguri.
(Fifty years and you don't feel them! Many wishes.) - Che questo compleanno segni l'inizio di una nuova, bellissima fase della vita.
(May this birthday mark the beginning of a new, beautiful phase of life.)
100 Years - The Century
A very rare and precious birthday, which in Italy, especially in small towns, is often celebrated even with recognition from the mayor or local authorities.
- Tantissimi auguri per i tuoi 100 anni!
(Very many wishes for your 100 years!) - Un secolo di vita: auguri speciali a una persona speciale.
(A century of life: special wishes to a special person.) - Che tu possa continuare a essere un esempio di forza e saggezza.
(May you continue to be an example of strength and wisdom.)
6. Italian Birthday Vocabulary and Etymology
Now that we've seen the expressions for wishing a happy birthday in Italian, let's see where the word comes from. "Compleanno" (birthday) comes from the union of the verb "compiere" (to complete/turn) and the noun "anno" (year): it indicates "the day when you complete one more year" from the day of birth.
The verb "compiere" belongs to the second conjugation (-ere), slightly irregular in the present indicative, has the regular past participle "compiuto" (completed).
Present: io compio (I turn), tu compi (you turn), lui/lei compie (he/she turns), noi compiamo (we turn), voi compite (you turn - plural), loro compiono (they turn).
"Compiere" is indeed a more appropriate verb when talking about birthdays. In a more immediate and colloquial form, the verb "fare" (to make/do) is used. To link the event to a moment of celebration, the verb "festeggiare" (to celebrate) is also used.
Examples:
Oggi compio 32 anni!
Today I turn 32!
Ieri Martina ha compiuto 10 anni.
Yesterday Martina turned 10.
Domani Giacomo fa 29 anni.
Tomorrow Giacomo turns 29.
La settimana prossima festeggiamo il compleanno di Andrea.
Next week we celebrate Andrea's birthday.
7. Common Italian Birthday Phrases and Vocabulary
Birthdays bring with them a small vocabulary made of questions and traditions. Let's see the most common and widespread ones:
Most Common Questions
- Quand'è il tuo compleanno? / Quando fai il compleanno?
(When is your birthday?) - Quando compi gli anni?
(When do you turn years?) - Quanti anni fai? / Quanti anni compi?
(How old are you turning?) - Quando sei nato/a?
(When were you born?)
Birthday Vocabulary
- Un regalo di compleanno
(A birthday gift)
→ the gift given to the birthday celebrant - Un biglietto di auguri
(A greeting card)
→ decorated card with written messages - Una festa di compleanno
(A birthday party)
→ the convivial moment with friends and relatives - Una torta di compleanno
(A birthday cake)
→ chosen by the birthday celebrant - Esprimere un desiderio
(To make a wish)
→ silently before blowing out the candles - Soffiare le candeline
(To blow out the candles)
→ placed on the birthday cake - Cantare "Tanti auguri"
(To sing "Many wishes")
→ right before blowing on the candles
In Italy it's the birthday celebrant who offers drinks or food to friends and colleagues, not the other way around!
Whether celebrating at home, in a venue, a disco or at a restaurant, the moment of blowing out the candles is also the moment when all the guests gather around the birthday celebrant for a commemorative photo.
8. The Italian Birthday Song "Tanti Auguri"
No birthday party is complete without choral singing. The Italian version of the famous "Happy Birthday to You" is known by everyone and is sung when the cake arrives.
Basic text:
Tanti auguri a te,
Tanti auguri a te,
Tanti auguri [name]
Tanti auguri a te.
(Many wishes to you,
many wishes to you,
many wishes [Name],
many wishes to you!)
Playful version:
Tanti auguri a te,
e la torta a me!
(Many wishes to you,
and the cake to me!)
A word for word translation of this version is “many wishes to you and the cake to me”.
Conclusion
Giving birthday wishes in Italian doesn't just mean pronouncing a ritual formula: it's a gesture that encompasses affection, conviviality and participation. From the simplicity of "Buon compleanno!" to warmer forms like "Tanti auguroni!" or more solemn ones like "Le auguro un felice compleanno", each expression reflects the richness of the language and the variety of social relationships. Even numbers have a symbolic role, because "special birthdays" – 18, 30, 40, 50 years – become life milestones and occasions for more targeted and heartfelt wishes.
Alongside vocabulary, there are rituals that cannot be missing: the gift, the cake, the candles, the secret wish and, naturally, the song "Tanti auguri a te", which unites everyone present in a choral moment of celebration. Even the etymology of the word "compleanno", linked to the verb "compiere", reminds us that this day represents the completion of one journey and the beginning of another.
Ultimately, learning to formulate birthday wishes in Italian means not only enriching your vocabulary, but also approaching a deeply cultural dimension, made of gestures, emotions and small traditions that make this special day a shared and unforgettable experience.
Adriana Rossi is a certified teacher of Italian as a foreign language from Rome, Italy, and has been part of the Giulia team since 2024. With a Modern Literature degree and advanced studies in Modern Philology, she specializes in tracing the origins and evolution of Italian words, bringing expertise in diction and expressive reading to help preserve and share Italy’s linguistic heritage with learners worldwide.
