Breakdown of Wir feiern und sagen: Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
und
and
wir
we
sagen
to say
feiern
to celebrate
Herzlichen Glückwunsch
congratulations
Questions & Answers about Wir feiern und sagen: Herzlichen Glückwunsch!
Why is there no word for "are" in "Wir feiern"?
In English, we say "We are celebrating" or "We celebrate." German keeps it simpler! There is no separate continuous tense in German. Wir feiern translates to both "We celebrate" and "We are celebrating".
What does "Herzlichen Glückwunsch" literally mean?
It literally translates to "Heartfelt luck-wish!" It is made up of herzlichen (heartfelt or sincere) and the compound noun Glückwunsch, which combines Glück (luck or happiness) and Wunsch (wish).
Why does "Herzlichen" end in "-en"?
This phrase is actually short for a full sentence like "I wish you a heartfelt congratulation" (Ich wünsche dir einen herzlichen Glückwunsch). Because the congratulation is the direct object being wished, it is in the accusative case. Glückwunsch is a masculine noun, so its describing adjective gets the -en ending.
Why is "Glückwunsch" capitalized?
In German, all nouns (words for people, places, things, and ideas) are capitalized, no matter where they appear in a sentence. Since Glückwunsch (congratulation) is a noun, it must start with a capital letter.
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