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Abbiamo festeggiato il diciottesimo compleanno di mio figlio.

Abbiamo festeggiato il diciottesimo compleanno di mio figlio.
We celebrated my son's eighteenth birthday.
From Lesson 246:Ordinal numbers 11th and above (-esimo)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Abbiamo festeggiato il diciottesimo compleanno di mio figlio.

How exactly do you form diciottesimo from the number eighteen?
To form ordinal numbers from 11 onwards, you take the regular number, drop its final vowel, and add the suffix -esimo. For eighteen (diciotto), you drop the final -o to get diciott-, then add -esimo to make diciottesimo.
Does diciottesimo change its ending depending on the noun?
Yes. Ordinal numbers ending in -esimo act just like regular adjectives. Because it describes compleanno (a masculine singular noun), it ends in -o. If you were talking about an eighteenth week (settimana), it would become la diciottesima settimana.
Why is there no article before mio figlio? Shouldn't it be del mio figlio?
This is an important exception to remember: Italian normally requires a definite article before a possessive, but you must drop the article when talking about an unmodified singular family member. That is why it is just di mio figlio instead of del mio figlio.
I have also learned the word celebrare. Why use festeggiare here?
While both mean to celebrate, festeggiare (related to festa, meaning party) is the standard verb for personal celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries. Celebrare sounds much more formal and is usually reserved for religious, historical, or official ceremonies.

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