Questions & Answers about Wir feiern heute. Alles Gute!
Why does the sentence use feiern instead of a direct translation for "are celebrating"?
German doesn't have a direct equivalent to the English "-ing" form (the present continuous tense). The standard present tense wir feiern translates to both "we celebrate" and "we are celebrating" depending on what makes sense in context.
What does Alles Gute literally mean?
It literally translates to "All good" or "Everything good". It is the standard German phrase for "All the best" and is most commonly used as a short way to wish someone a happy birthday.
Why is Gute capitalized here? Isn't it an adjective?
The word gut is normally an adjective. However, in this phrase, it acts as a noun meaning "good things" or "the good". Because all nouns are capitalized in German, Gute gets a capital letter here.
Could I say Heute wir feiern instead of Wir feiern heute?
No, but you could say Heute feiern wir. In a basic German statement, the verb must stay in the second position. If you put heute in the first position, the verb feiern still has to come next, swapping places with the subject wir.
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