Congratulations in Spanish 38+ Ways for Every Occasion
Want to learn how to say congratulations in Spanish for every occasion? I can help! I’ve traveled to numerous Spanish-speaking countries including Spain, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Argentina, and found myself learning tips and tricks from the locals along the way.
Whether it’s for a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or job promotion, you’ll know exactly what phrase to use by the end of this article. No matter where we’re at in our lives, there’s always something to celebrate!
These moments are special, and if you’re planning on traveling to a Spanish-speaking country or spending time with some native Spanish speakers, then knowing these simple Spanish phrases is a great way to connect with locals, friends, and family members.
Do your best to follow along, listen to the videos I’ve linked to, and practice your pronunciations, and you’ll be talking like a native Spanish speaker in no time! I’ve also provided you with built-in listen buttons, so you can read and listen as you go…
✔️ Take note, the Spanish speaker you’ll hear in the provided pronunciations is from Spain, so if you’re traveling to another Spanish-speaking country outside of Europe, some of the pronunciations may change depending on the region and local dialect.
Buena Suerte! (good luck!)
The Standard Way to Say Congratulations in Spanish
✔️ 1. Felicidades
Felicidades! Used in both formal and informal situations, this is easily the most common way of saying “congrats” or “congratulations” in Spanish. To up the ante a little, you can also say “Muchas felicidades” which means many congratulations in Spanish.
You’ll hear it used between adults, children, friends, strangers, family members, and the like.
Owing to its simplicity in meaning, it can be used for virtually any occasion including holidays, career achievements, birthdays, weddings, and so forth.
You can use the phrase in different strengths as well, depending on your tone of voice and whether or not you use the addition of muchas (many) beforehand.
✔️ 2. Muchas Felicidades
This is the most intense congratulatory you can give, so it’s normally only used for weddings and big celebrations.
✔️ 3. Te Felicito
Literally translating to “I congratulate you”, this common Spanish phrase can also be used in both formal and informal situations. Felicito is conjugated from the verb Felicitar which means “to congratulate”.
Te, meaning you, transforms the sentence into “I congratulate you” versus just saying “congratulations” in general.
How to Pronounce Felicidades
Here is a quick video on how to pronounce felicidades!
Use it to practice your own pronunciations since this is the most popular way to congratulate someone, regardless of the event or situation, in Spanish.
Congratulations in Spanish Wedding
It doesn’t matter if you are the mother of the bride, the best man, or a long-lost cousin that shows up last minute, knowing how to congratulate a bride and groom on the happiest day of their lives is very important.
You could very easily just say muchas felicidades or felicitaciones to the happy couple, but I recommend using one of the other phrases below.
Yes, they will take a little bit more time to master the pronunciation, but they’ll appreciate your efforts nevertheless!
✔️ 4. ¡Felicidades por tu compromiso! – Congratulations on your engagement!
✔️ 5. ¡Felicidades por su boda! – Congratulations on your wedding!
✔️ 6. ¡Felicidades en esta nueva etapa de sus vidas! – Congratulations on this new phase of your lives!
✔️ 7. ¡Les deseo lo mejor en su vida de casados! – I wish you the best in your married life!
Congratulations in Spanish Anniversary
✔️ 8. ¡Feliz aniversario! – Happy Anniversary!
Perhaps you want to wish your friends, parents, or grandparents a joyful anniversary. So, use the phrase above to cover the basics.
This will get the point across in both formal and informal situations, but if you want to say something a little bit more romantic or personalized, you can say something like:
✔️ 9. Les deseo una vida de felicidad juntos – I wish you a lifetime of happiness together
✔️ 10. Disfruta tu aniversario – Enjoy your anniversary
✔️ 11. Te deseo muchos años de amor y felicidad – I wish you many years of love and happiness
✔️ 12. Saludos por muchos años más maravillosos por delante – Cheers to many more wonderful years ahead
Congratulations in Spanish Baby
Did your best childhood friend just have their first baby? Or maybe you just became an uncle or aunt? Celebrations are in order!
The birth of a child is often the most important moment in a couple’s life, so if you’re close to the person or couple, be sure to acknowledge their life’s transformation!
To personalize your congratulatory card, phone call, or conversation, try using the below phrases in their respective occasions to impress your Spanish-speaking friends and family!
✔️ 13. ¡Felicidades por el nacimiento de tu hijo! – Congratulations on the birth of your son!
✔️ 14. ¡Felicidades por el nacimiento de tu hija! – Congratulations on the birth of your daughter!
✔️ 15. ¡Felicidades a los nuevos padres! – Congratulations to the new parents!
Congratulations in Spanish New House
Know someone who recently bought a new house? Whether you send them a quick message via text, give them a call, or stop by their door with a congratulatory dinner, it’s always nice to recognize their achievement.
You can use one of the standard phrases that we previously discussed including felicidades, te felicito, muchas felicidades, or felicitaciones, but wouldn’t it be nice to mix it up a little?
Buying a home, especially a first home, is a very big deal… If you want to practice your more advanced Spanish speaking skills, try one of the phrases below!
✔️ 16. ¡Felicidades por la nueva casa! – Congratulations on the new house!
✔️ 17. ¡Tu nueva casa es hermosa! – Your new house is beautiful!
✔️ 18. ¡Estoy tan feliz por ti! – I’m so happy for you!
✔️ 19. ¡Wow es asombroso! – Wow it’s amazing!
Congratulations in Spanish New Car
Did you or your friend’s child just get their license? Consider sending them a card or giving them a quick phone call to congratulate them! Depending on your comfort level if they are a native Spanish speaker…
Did your nephew just buy their first car? These are big milestones in a person’s life, so be sure to tell them just how excited you are for them!
In these types of situations, a cheerful felicitaciones will definitely do the trick. Or, you can try out one of the phrases I’ve provided below:
✔️ 20. ¡Felicitaciones por tu nuevo auto! – Congratulations on your new car!
✔️ 21. ¡Felicitaciones por obtener su licencia! – Congratulations on getting your license!
✔️ 22. Wow, tu nuevo coche es genial! – Wow, your new car is great!
Congratulations in Spanish Holiday
To wish someone a joyous day regardless of the holiday, be sure to reference the phrases below!
Make note of when you’ll be traveling so you can use these phrases if you happen to be traveling during a major holiday.
✔️ 23. ¡Felices fiestas! – Happy Holidays!
✔️ 24. ¡Feliz Navidad! – Merry Christmas!
✔️ 25. ¡Feliz año nuevo! – Happy New Year!
✔️ 26. ¡Feliz día de la madre! – Happy Mother’s Day!
✔️ 27. ¡Feliz dia del padre! – Happy Father’s Day!
✔️ 28. ¡Felices Pascuas! – Happy Easter!
✔️ 29. ¡Feliz día de la Independencia! – Happy Independence Day!
Congratulations in Spanish New Job
✔️ 30. Felicitaciones
When someone you know (or don’t know) dedicates a large amount of personal effort, especially over a long period of time, it’s important to recognize that when you see them.
Instead of using the simple felicidades like originally talked about, which simply means “congrats”, you’ll want to show a bit more emotion and recognition of their achievements.
This is often used when someone gets a new job, or nuevo trabajo, so the sentence would become “felicitaciones por tu nuevo trabajo.”
When you say felicitaciones you’re emphasizing that the person has achieved something great. Perhaps they graduated college, got married, started their own business, and so on.
You’ll want to use an excited, positive tone of voice for this phrase, or it may sound like you’re being sarcastic if you let it roll in a dull tone.
“Felicitaciones” is really only used for big or important celebrations, so use it sparingly!
Some other ways of congratulating someone on a personal achievement could include:
✔️ 31. ¡Felicidades por tu ascenso! – Congratulations on your promotion!
✔️ 32. Felicidades, es bien merecida! – Congratulations, it’s well deserved! (feminine)
✔️ 33. Felicidades, es bien merecido! – Congratulations, it’s well deserved! (masculine)
How to Pronounce Felicitaciones
The man in this video does an excellent job at slowing down the pronunciation of the word felicitaciones for you.
Listen to the quick video a few times and practice your personal pronunciations as you go along!
Formal Congratulations in Spanish
✔️ 34. Enhorabuena
So, someone at your job just got a big promotion that they’ve been working hard to obtain over the last year or someone in your master’s course just finished their final thesis…
Well, similar to felicitaciones, it’s time to refer to the big-time congratulatory phrase of enhorabuena!
This is one of the more formal phrases to use when you want to say “Congratulations” in Spanish. While it would be acceptable to use at the birth of your best friend’s baby or your daughter’s new car, it’s not exactly recommended.
You’ll sound very formal (like a stuffed shirt, as we say in the U.S.). Save this phrase for professional events and formal situations like if you want to say congratulations in Spanish for graduation!
How to Pronounce Enhorabuena
This short video says enhorabuena in the typical fast-spoken Spanish, so use the second half of the video where there’s silence to practice your pronunciations.
This may take a few tries, so consider just listening to the video the first couple of times through!
Happy Birthday in Spanish
✔️ 35. ¡Feliz Cumpleaños
Happy birthday!! Whether it’s your own child, a friend, or a complete stranger in a coffee shop, it’s only polite and kind to wish someone a happy day on the day of their birth.
In Spanish, we use the phrase Feliz Cumpleaños. The word feliz comes from Felicitar, or “to congratulate”. Depending on who you are talking to, particularly if it’s more than one person, then the conjugation form will change.
For more ways to celebrate someone’s special day, check out our article on Happy Birthday in Spanish 13 Different Ways!
Other Ways to Say Congratulations in Spanish
Want to know a few more ways of saying congratulations in Spanish? Mix up your vocabulary with the phrases below!
Most of the phrases in this article can be used in both formal and informal situations, so unless you’re attending a very formal event (such as a business event), you can use most of the phrases appropriately and without worry.
✔️ 36. ¡Buen trabajo! – Good Job!
✔️ 37. ¡Salud! – Cheers!
✔️ 38. ¡Estoy feliz por ti! – I’m happy for you!
Other Helpful Spanish Resources
✔️ Learn Numbers 1-100 in Spanish (with PDF Guide)
✔️ How to Say Goodnight in Spanish 33+ Ways
✔️ 35 Helpful Greetings in Spanish – Formal and Informal
If you’re interested in learning Spanish and French, check out some of our French language learning articles too!
✔️ How to Say Nice to Meet You in French 15+ Ways
✔️ 33+ Ways to Say Thank You in French (with Audio)
✔️ What Time Is It in French 11+ Ways: How to Ask and Tell Time in French
✔️ Good Morning in French: 17 Helpful French Greetings
✔️ Goodnight in French 17+ Ways (& Audio Pronunciation)
✔️ Saying No in French 31+ Ways (& Audio Pronunciation)
✔️ 1-10 in French: Learn to Count from 1-10+ in French (with Pronunciations)
✔️ Merry Christmas in French 17+ Ways
The Wrap-Up: Congratulations in Spanish
Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, and job promotions are all important and memorable moments in our lives that deserve to be congratulated.
Everyone appreciates it when their accomplishments are recognized, so to be able to do that in more than one language is truly special and allows for a greater connection between people of different backgrounds!
If you want to learn Spanish on a daily basis, be sure to sign up for Duolingo! This free language-learning platform is what I use every single day to practice my Spanish vocabulary, pronunciations, grammar, and even learn about the culture across Latin America.
And if English isn’t your first language, don’t fret. Duolingo has a great program for that, as well!
Whether you want to learn how to say congratulations in Spanish for your future in-laws or for yourself along your travels, this is a great way to get started.
