To send someone your birthday greetings in Italian, you only really need one word: Auguri!
This word is the shortened version of the slightly more laborious auguri di buon compleanno.
The word auguri comes from the verb augurare which means 'to wish'- so the closest English expression would probably be something like 'best wishes'.
Like the term 'best wishes', auguri is not limited to use for birthdays. Instead, it is used at various occasions in Italian and is often the first word you'll hear at the chime of midnight when people are welcoming in a new year.
If you want to extend birthday greetings especially fervently, you may want to modify auguri with the superlatve suffix -oni. In Italian, this suffix is used to denote great size, so auguroni would be the word for 'great big birthday wishes'.
Alternatively, you could use the indefinite adjective tanti meaning 'many' to say tanti auguri.
This word is the shortened version of the slightly more laborious auguri di buon compleanno.
The word auguri comes from the verb augurare which means 'to wish'- so the closest English expression would probably be something like 'best wishes'.
Like the term 'best wishes', auguri is not limited to use for birthdays. Instead, it is used at various occasions in Italian and is often the first word you'll hear at the chime of midnight when people are welcoming in a new year.
If you want to extend birthday greetings especially fervently, you may want to modify auguri with the superlatve suffix -oni. In Italian, this suffix is used to denote great size, so auguroni would be the word for 'great big birthday wishes'.
Alternatively, you could use the indefinite adjective tanti meaning 'many' to say tanti auguri.
The expression tanti auguri is also the title of the Italian song 'happy birthday' and is a phrase that often decorates birthday cards and banners that you might buy at the local cartoleria or 'stationery shop'..
One final option is to simply say buon compelanno meaning 'happy birthday'- the main thing is to remember to say something!
If you do forget someone's birthday, you may find this page helpful in redeeming yourself.
One final option is to simply say buon compelanno meaning 'happy birthday'- the main thing is to remember to say something!
If you do forget someone's birthday, you may find this page helpful in redeeming yourself.
