Happy Birthday In German (Alles Gute Zum Geburtstag, Song And Phrases)

My first German birthday party went great right up until the moment I opened my mouth. Everyone turned to the birthday girl, raised their glasses, and I proudly shouted: „Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!“ /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/

So far, so good. Then they started singing. I tried to join in, but all I caught was „Zum Geburtstag viel Glück…“ and then I just hummed loudly and clapped off-beat like a confused yak at karaoke. Later, I wrote “Alles Gute” on a card three times on the same evening because I didn’t know any other phrases.

Once I learned a few more birthday expressions and the basic German birthday song formula, things got much less awkward. Let’s get you ready to wish people happy birthday in German without panicking about what comes after “Alles Gute.”

Quick Primer

Here are your core birthday tools:

If you remember nothing else:

• Say Alles Gute zum Geburtstag /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/ as your main “Happy Birthday”.
  
• Use Herzlichen Glückwunsch /ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩ ˈɡlʏkvʊnʃ/ as a slightly more formal alternative.
  

Then we decorate.

Core Birthday Wishes: Alles Gute And Herzlichen Glückwunsch

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/ is probably the most useful birthday phrase you’ll ever learn.

Use it:

• In person, with friends, colleagues, family
  
• In cards, messages, emails
  
• With almost anyone, from casual to polite
  

Examples:

• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
  /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/
  Happy birthday!
  
• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag und viel Gesundheit.
  /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk ʊnt fiːl ɡəˈzʊnthaɪ̯t/
  Happy birthday and lots of health.
  

You can shorten it to Alles Gute /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə/ when the context is clear (standing in front of a cake is usually enough context).

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag /ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩ ˈɡlʏkvʊnʃ tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/ literally means “heartfelt congratulations on your birthday.”

Use it:

• In cards
  
• In more formal contexts
  
• When you want to sound a bit extra sincere
  

Examples:

• Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!
  /ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩ ˈɡlʏkvʊnʃ tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/
  Happy birthday, congratulations.
  
• Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum 30. Geburtstag!
  /ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩ ˈɡlʏkvʊnʃ tsʊm ˈdʁaɪ̯sɪçstən ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/
  Congratulations on your 30th birthday!
  

Both Alles Gute… and Herzlichen Glückwunsch… are completely safe with almost anyone. You can’t really go wrong with them.

Cute, Casual, And Extra Birthday Phrases

Once the basic wish is out, Germans love adding a few extra ingredients: health, happiness, success, not dying too early, all the classics.

Here are some building blocks:

Example full wishes:

• Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag, bleib gesund und glücklich.
  /ˈaləs ˈliːbə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk blaɪ̯p ɡəˈzʊnt ʊnt ˈɡlʏklɪç/
  Lots of love on your birthday, stay healthy and happy.
  
• Ich wünsche dir alles Gute und viel Erfolg im neuen Lebensjahr.
  /ɪç ˈvʏnʃə diːɐ̯ ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə ʊnt fiːl ɛɐ̯ˈfɔlk ʔɪm ˈnɔʏ̯ən ˈleːbənsˌjaːɐ̯/
  I wish you all the best and much success in your new year of life.
  

You can mix and match these like Lego, depending on how emotional you want to get.

The German Birthday Song: Tune, Text, And Survival Strategy

Good news: the classic German birthday song is simple and predictable. Less good news: the exact wording can vary a bit from group to group.

A very common line you’ll hear is:

Zum Geburtstag viel Glück.
/tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk fiːl ɡlʏk/
Much luck for your birthday.

People typically repeat that line and then add the person’s name in one line. Instead of stressing about every syllable, focus on recognising Geburtstag /ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/ and viel Glück /fiːl ɡlʏk/ so you can confidently sing those parts and mumble the rest if necessary.

Useful little phrases around the song:

Survival tip: when everyone starts singing, join loudly on „Zum Geburtstag viel Glück“ and the person’s name line. Smile, clap, and you will look more confident than you feel.

Writing Birthday Cards And Messages

Germans love birthday cards, WhatsApp messages, and sometimes terrifyingly long Facebook paragraphs. Let’s build a few ready-made templates.

Short and friendly:

• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
  /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/
  Happy birthday!
  
• Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag und einen schönen Tag!
  /ˈaləs ˈliːbə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk ʊnt ˈaɪ̯nən ˈʃøːnən taːk/
  Lots of love on your birthday and have a great day!
  

More personal:

• Ich wünsche dir alles Gute zum Geburtstag und dass alle deine Wünsche in Erfüllung gehen.
  /ɪç ˈvʏnʃə diːɐ̯ ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk ʊnt das ˈalə ˈdaɪ̯nə ˈvʏnʃə ʔɪn ɛɐ̯ˈfʏlʊŋ ˈɡeːən/
  I wish you all the best for your birthday and that all your wishes come true.
  
• Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag! Bleib so wie du bist.
  /ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩ ˈɡlʏkvʊnʃ tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk blaɪ̯p zoː viː duː bɪst/
  Happy birthday! Stay just the way you are.
  

Belated birthday:

• Alles Gute nachträglich zum Geburtstag.
  /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə ˈnaːxtʁeːklɪç tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/
  Happy belated birthday.
  
• Sorry, ein bisschen spät – aber alles Gute nachträglich!
  /ˈzɔʁi aɪ̯n ˈbɪsçən ʃpɛːt ˈaːbɐ ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə ˈnaːxtʁeːklɪç/
  Sorry, a bit late – but happy belated birthday!
  

Region Notes

The birthday basics stay the same across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland:

• Alles Gute zum Geburtstag and Herzlichen Glückwunsch are understood and normal everywhere.
  
• The „Zum Geburtstag viel Glück“ song line is very widely used, though families add their own twists.
  

A few practical notes:

• Many Germans consider it bad luck to congratulate before the actual birthday. So avoid sending Alles Gute too early; saying it the day after is safer than the day before.
  
• In Austria and some southern regions, you might hear dialect forms or extra phrases, but your standard German wishes are completely fine.
  
• In Switzerland, people might also mix in alles Gueti /ˈaləs ˈɡuətɪ/ (Swiss German), but they’ll understand your Alles Gute just fine.
  

As a learner, you don’t have to worry about regional differences yet. Standard phrases are more than enough.

Mini Dialogues

Dialogue 1 – At A Birthday Party

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Lisa!
/ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk ˈliːza/
Happy birthday, Lisa!

Danke, wie lieb von dir.
/ˈdaŋkə viː liːp fɔn diːɐ̯/
Thanks, that’s so sweet of you.

Ich wünsche dir ganz viel Glück im neuen Lebensjahr.
/ɪç ˈvʏnʃə diːɐ̯ ɡants fiːl ɡlʏk ʔɪm ˈnɔʏ̯ən ˈleːbənsˌjaːɐ̯/
I wish you lots of luck in your new year of life.

Danke, das hoffe ich auch.
/ˈdaŋkə das ˈhɔfə ɪç aʊ̯x/
Thank you, I hope so too.

Dialogue 2 – Text Message To A Friend

Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag!
/ˈaləs ˈliːbə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/
Lots of love on your birthday!

Lass dich heute richtig feiern.
/las dɪç ˈhɔʏ̯tə ˈʁɪçtɪç ˈfaɪ̯ɐn/
Let yourself be properly celebrated today.

Danke, du bist die Beste.
/ˈdaŋkə duː bɪst diː ˈbɛstə/
Thanks, you’re the best.

Wir stoßen am Wochenende an, okay?
/viːɐ̯ ˈʃtoːsn̩ am ˈvɔxn̩ˌɛndə an oˈkɛɪ̯/
We’ll toast on the weekend, okay?

Dialogue 3 – At The Office

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, Herr Meier.
/ˈhɛʁt͡slɪçn̩ ˈɡlʏkvʊnʃ tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk hɛʁ ˈmaɪ̯ɐ/
Happy birthday, Mr Meier.

Vielen Dank, das ist nett von Ihnen.
/ˈfiːlən ˈdaŋk das ɪst nɛt fɔn ˈiːnən/
Thank you very much, that’s kind of you.

Ich wünsche Ihnen alles Gute und viel Gesundheit.
/ɪç ˈvʏnʃə ˈiːnən ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə ʊnt fiːl ɡəˈzʊnthaɪ̯t/
I wish you all the best and lots of health.

Danke, das kann ich gebrauchen.
/ˈdaŋkə das kan ɪç ɡəˈbʁaʊ̯xn̩/
Thank you, I can use that.

Quick Reference

Here’s your compact birthday toolkit:

If you freeze, this simple combo will still work:

• Person’s name + Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
  
• Big smile. Maybe cake.
  

Five-Minute Practice Plan

• Say Alles Gute zum Geburtstag /ˈaləs ˈɡuːtə tsʊm ɡəˈbuːʁt͡sˌtaːk/ out loud ten times, slowly at first, then at natural speed.
  
• Practice switching: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag → Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag → Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag, three rounds.
  
• Stand in front of a mirror, look at yourself, and say: Ich wünsche dir alles Gute und viel Gesundheit, three times with natural intonation.
  
• Write two birthday messages: one short (“Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!”) and one longer, then read them aloud as if you’re recording a voice note.
  
• Clap a simple rhythm and say Zum Geburtstag viel Glück on top of it five times, so the phrase feels musical, not robotic.
  
• Think of three real people you know; for each one, say a personalised line in German (for example: add age, weekend plans, or “bleib so wie du bist”).
  

Let The Yak Bring Cake, You Bring The German

Once Alles Gute zum Geburtstag and a handful of extra phrases feel natural, birthdays in German stop being stressful oral exams and start being fun excuses to show off a little. You don’t need perfect lyrics or poetry; a clear wish, one or two warm lines, and maybe a slightly off-key Zum Geburtstag viel Glück are more than enough to make someone’s day.