ELONIO
Log inSign up

¡Feliz cumpleaños! ¡Que cumplas muchos más!

¡Feliz cumpleaños! ¡Que cumplas muchos más!
Happy birthday! May you have many more!
From Lesson 145:Direct wishes (¡que...!)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about ¡Feliz cumpleaños! ¡Que cumplas muchos más!

Why is it Que cumplas and not Que cumples?
It uses the subjunctive form cumplas because it is a wish. In Spanish, starting a sentence with Que followed by a present subjunctive verb is the standard way to say 'May you...' or 'I hope that you...' do something.
Doesn't cumplir usually mean 'to achieve' or 'to complete'?
Yes, it does! In Spanish, you do not 'have' a birthday. Instead, you 'complete' years of life. The full phrase for having a birthday or turning a certain age is cumplir años. In this sentence, the word años is simply implied.
Why does the sentence use the masculine plural muchos más?
It matches the hidden word años (years). Because the speaker just said cumpleaños, it is already understood that they are wishing you many more years. Since años is masculine and plural, it has to be muchos más.
Does cumpleaños end in an 's' because we are talking about multiple birthdays?
No, cumpleaños is a compound word made from cumple (completes) and años (years). It always ends in an 's', even when you are just talking about one single birthday!

Learn ¡Feliz cumpleaños! ¡Que cumplas muchos más and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →