Happy Birthday

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threewood14
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Happy Birthday

Post by threewood14 »

What would you say is the best way to say, "Happy Birthday!" in Latin? I'm not so sure of what I have come up with.
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benissimus
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Post by benissimus »

The phrase I am familiar with is felicem tibi natalem.

felix natal is "happy birthday", put into the accusative for exclamatory purposes.
flebile nescio quid queritur lyra, flebile lingua murmurat exanimis, respondent flebile ripae
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Episcopus
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Post by Episcopus »

See, the ne habeas is understood.
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Cleo
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from Minimus

Post by Cleo »

Felix dies tibi sit according to Minimus, from Cambridge University Press.
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Fair Terentia
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Post by Fair Terentia »

I've always said, "felicem diem natalis habeas" but I did just make it up...
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Moerus
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Post by Moerus »

The standard translation is felix dies natalis tibi sit or something like that (tibi opto ut felix sit dies natalis; diem natalem felicem habeas; ...).

But you can also sing the famous song 'Happy birthday to you' in Latin. There is a standard translation of that too, but the 'natalis' is left away in it metri causa:

Felix dies tibi (2x)
Felix dies tibi, (here comes the name in the vocative),
Felix dies tibi.
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