Exclaim “Joyeux anniversaire!”[1] X Research source
This is the first of two standard “happy birthday” greetings used in France.
Note that you can use this saying in Quebec and other French-speaking parts of Canada, but it is not the most common way to offer birthday wishes there.
This phrase translates directly into “happy birthday.”
Joyeux means “happy,” “joyful,” or “gleeful.”
Anniversaire can mean “birthday” or “anniversary,” but when said alone, it most commonly refers to one’s birthday. To refer to a wedding anniversary, you would say “anniversaire de mariage.”
Switch to “Bon anniversaire!” This is the second of two standard “happy birthday” greetings used in France.[2] X Research source
As with joyeux anniversaire,bon anniversaire can be used and understood in French-speaking parts of Canada, but it is not the most common birthday greeting there.
Bon usually means “good” or “well.”[3] X Research source
As such, this phrase translates more directly to “have a good birthday” rather than “happy birthday.”
Use “bonne fête” in French-speaking Canada. This is the most casual and commonly used way of saying “happy birthday” in French-speaking portions of Canada, like Quebec.
Unlike “joyeux anniversaire” and “bon anniversaire,” “bonne fête” cannot be used in both France and Canada. In France, “bonne fête” would usually be used when wishing someone a good “name day.” One’s “name day” refers to the feast day of the saint one is named after.
Bonne is the feminine form of the word “bon”, meaning “good” or “well.”
Fête means “celebration.”
Translated more directly, “bonne fête” means “have a good celebration.”
State “félicitations.” Use this greeting to congratulate someone on his or her birthday.
This is not an especially common way to wish someone “happy birthday,” but it is slightly more common to congratulate someone on his or her birthday in France than in the United States.
Félicitations translates directly to “congratulations” in English.
This question is used to ask someone how old he or she is.
Only ask this if you know the person well and have already wished him or her a happy birthday. This can easily be misconstrued as rude. You wouldn’t ask a stranger how old they are in English, after all!
Tell someone “Que vous puissiez être heureux (or heureuse, if your interlocutor is female) encore de nombreuses années!” This sentiment means something along the lines of “many happy returns” or “many happy years to come.” You are essentially wishing someone many more happy birthdays to come.[6] X Research source
Que here means “may,” vous means “you,” puissiez means “(to) be able,” être means “(to) be,” and heureux (-se) means “happy.”
Encore means “still” or “yet” and expresses the “still to come” part of this sentiment.
