Today's words · 🎂 Birthday party
Alles Gute! 10 German words for birthday parties
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In Germany, wishing someone happy birthday early can actually bring bad luck — so timing matters.
A German friend messages you: ‘Ich lade dich zu meiner Geburtstagsparty ein!’ You're thrilled — but how do you reply? What do you say when you hand over a present? And what do you sing out on the day?
Today's ten words are the ones you'll need at a birthday party. With them you can answer an invitation, give a present and wish someone a proper happy birthday in front of the cake. 🎂
📋 The ten words at a glance
- der Geburtstag — birthday
- die Geburtstagsparty — birthday party
- feiern — to celebrate; to party
- einladen — to invite; to treat (sb)
- das Geschenk — present, gift
- schenken — to give (as a present)
- gratulieren — to congratulate (+ dat.)
- der Glückwunsch — congratulations
- die Torte — gateau, layer cake, tart
- die Kerze — candle
🧠 Words, examples and memory tricks
der Geburtstag
[ge-BOORTS-tahk]birthday(Pl. die Geburtstage)
📌 Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
→ Happy birthday!
💡 Geburt (birth) + Tag (day) = birthday 🎂 It ends in der Tag, so it's der.
Bonus The classic wish: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
die Geburtstagsparty
[ge-BOORTS-tahks-par-tee]birthday party(Pl. die Geburtstagspartys)
📌 Kommst du zu meiner Geburtstagsparty?
→ Are you coming to my birthday party?
💡 The -s- in the middle is just glue 🎈 It ends in die Party, so it's die.
⚠ The plural is die Geburtstagspartys — no English-style -ies.
feiern
[FIE-ern]to celebrate; to party(feiert – hat gefeiert)
📌 Wir feiern heute meinen Geburtstag.
→ We're celebrating my birthday today.
💡 From Latin feriae (holidays) 🥳 Feierabend, your time after work, is from the same family.
Bonus The noun: die Feier = party, celebration
einladen
[INE-lah-den]to invite; to treat (sb)(lädt ein – hat eingeladen)
📌 Ich lade dich zu meinem Geburtstag ein.
→ I'm inviting you to my birthday.
💡 ein (in) + laden (to summon) = to call someone in 💌
Bonus At a restaurant: Ich lade dich ein! = It's my treat!
⚠ Separable, and the vowel changes for du/er: Er lädt mich ein.
das Geschenk
[ge-SHENK]present, gift(Pl. die Geschenke)
📌 Das ist ein Geschenk für dich.
→ This is a present for you.
💡 A noun from schenken (to give a present) 🎁 Many nouns starting with Ge- are das.
⚠ German das Gift means poison! Never call a present a Gift.
schenken
[SHENK-en]to give (as a present)(schenkt – hat geschenkt)
📌 Was schenkst du deiner Mutter?
→ What are you giving your mother?
💡 It originally meant ‘to pour someone a drink’ 🍷 A gift is kindness poured out.
Bonus To whom (dative) + what (accusative): Ich schenke dir ein Buch.
gratulieren
[gra-too-LEER-en]to congratulate (+ dat.)(gratuliert – hat gratuliert)
📌 Ich gratuliere dir zum Geburtstag!
→ Happy birthday!
💡 Same root as congratulate 🎉 An -ieren verb, so the perfect is hat gratuliert, with no ge-.
⚠ The person is in the dative: Ich gratuliere dir — not dich!
der Glückwunsch
[GLUEK-voonsh]congratulations(Pl. die Glückwünsche)
📌 Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!
→ Happy birthday!
💡 Glück (luck) + Wunsch (wish) = a wish for good luck 🍀
Bonus Herzlichen Glückwunsch! also works for exams, weddings and new babies.
die Torte
[TOR-tuh]gateau, layer cake, tart(Pl. die Torten)
📌 Zum Geburtstag gibt es eine Torte.
→ There's a cake for the birthday.
💡 Cousin of Italian torta and English tart 🎂 Layers of cream and fruit!
⚠ A plain sponge or loaf cake is der Kuchen, not a Torte.
die Kerze
[KAIR-tsuh]candle(Pl. die Kerzen)
📌 Zum Geburtstag zünden wir Kerzen an.
→ We light candles for birthdays.
💡 Ends in -e, so it's die 🕯️ Make a wish, then blow!
Bonus to blow out the candles = die Kerzen auspusten
🇩🇪 A spoonful of German culture
Many Germans believe that wishing someone happy birthday before the day brings bad luck, so wait until the day itself or after. If you're late, just say ‘Alles Gute nachträglich!’ (belated happy birthday).
Another surprise: in Germany the birthday person often throws their own party and invites friends. At work it's common for the birthday person to bring in cake or snacks for colleagues — though it depends on the team.
At children's parties you might see traditional games like Topfschlagen: blindfolded, you hunt for a pot by tapping the floor with a wooden spoon. 🥄
✅ Quick quiz
Q. You're texting a friend on their birthday. Fill the gap: ‘Ich gratuliere ___ zum Geburtstag!’
- ① dich
- ② dir
- ③ du
Show the answer
② dir
gratulieren takes the person in the dative, so dir is right.
Next time a German friend has a birthday, say ‘Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!’ on the day itself. Why not practise it in front of the mirror today? 🎉
🔜 Tomorrow's topic: 💍 Weddings