Congratulations, condolences and good wishes in Spanish, in Mexico, Spain, Colombia and Argentina
These are the sentences you cannot look up in the moment. Someone announces a baby, passes an exam or loses a parent, and you have a moment to say the right thing. This page has the words for the good news and the bad, in the form each country uses, plus the birthday songs, the toasts, what happens at a wake, and how to write any of it in a card or a message.
Congratulations
You need three words, and they are not interchangeable.
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The everyday one | ¡Felicidades! | ¡Felicidades! | ¡Felicitaciones! | ¡Felicitaciones! or ¡Felicidades! |
| For an achievement | ¡Felicidades! or ¡Felicitaciones! | ¡Enhorabuena! | ¡Felicitaciones! | ¡Felicitaciones! |
| Short and warm | ¡Qué bueno! | ¡Qué bien! | ¡Qué bueno! | ¡Qué bueno! |
Enhorabuena is Spain’s word for an achievement: a job, a degree, a baby, a house. Spaniards keep felicidades for birthdays and saint’s days. Felicidades to a Spaniard who has just been promoted is understood, but enhorabuena is the word they expect.
In Mexico, Colombia and Argentina enhorabuena is rare in speech. Colombians and Argentines lean on felicitaciones, Mexicans on felicidades, and everybody understands both.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Congratulations! | ¡Felicidades! / ¡Felicitaciones! | |
| Well done | ¡Muy bien! or ¡Bien hecho! | |
| You deserve it | Te lo mereces. / Te lo merecés. (Argentina, vos) | |
| I’m so happy for you | Me alegro mucho por ti. / por vos. (Argentina) / por usted. (Colombia, formal) | |
| That’s wonderful news | ¡Qué buena noticia! | |
| I’m proud of you | Estoy orgulloso de ti. / orgullosa | Ending matches the speaker |
| Congratulations on… | Felicidades por… / Felicitaciones por… | por el bebé, por el trabajo, por tu graduación |
Birthdays
| You want to say | Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Happy birthday | ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | ¡Feliz cumpleaños! | ¡Feliz cumple! or ¡Feliz cumpleaños! |
| The short form | ¡Feliz cumple! | ¡Felicidades! | ¡Feliz cumple! | ¡Feliz cumple! |
| Many happy returns | ¡Que cumplas muchos más! | ¡Que cumplas muchos más! | ¡Que cumplas muchos más! | ¡Que cumplas muchos más! |
| The word for birthday, shortened | el cumple | el cumple | el cumple | el cumple |
The songs differ.
Mexicans sing Las Mañanitas. Not the translated birthday song, a separate and much older one, sung first and often at dawn or at midnight: Estas son las mañanitas que cantaba el rey David… Then the cake arrives and everyone chants ¡Mordida! ¡Mordida! until the birthday person bites the cake, face first, and someone pushes their head in. It is affectionate and it is expected.
In Spain and Colombia people sing Cumpleaños feliz, the familiar tune with Spanish words: Cumpleaños feliz, cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos todos, cumpleaños feliz.
Argentines sing “que los cumplas feliz”, same tune, different words, with the person’s name in the third line: Que los cumplas feliz, que los cumplas feliz, que los cumplas, Martina, que los cumplas feliz. Then everyone claps.
Visitors get caught out by one thing. In Mexico, Spain and much of Latin America the person having the birthday often hosts and pays, so do not turn up expecting to be treated.
A new baby, a wedding, a new job, an exam
| The moment | Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A baby | ¡Felicidades por el bebé! | ¡Enhorabuena! | ¡Felicitaciones por el bebé! | ¡Felicitaciones! ¡Qué hermoso! |
| A wedding | ¡Felicidades a los novios! | ¡Enhorabuena! / ¡Vivan los novios! | ¡Felicitaciones a los novios! | ¡Que sean muy felices! |
| A new job | ¡Felicidades por el nuevo trabajo! | ¡Enhorabuena por el trabajo! | ¡Felicitaciones! ¡Qué chévere! | ¡Felicitaciones! Te lo merecés. |
| An exam passed | ¡Felicidades, pasaste! | ¡Enhorabuena, has aprobado! | ¡Felicitaciones, pasó! (usted) | ¡Felicitaciones, aprobaste! |
| A graduation | ¡Felicidades por tu graduación! | ¡Enhorabuena por la graduación! | ¡Felicitaciones por el grado! | ¡Felicitaciones por recibirte! |
¡Vivan los novios! is the shout at a wedding, called out by a guest and answered by everyone. It is used across the Spanish-speaking world and it is loud on purpose.
The verbs for passing an exam change. In Spain it is aprobar, he aprobado el examen. In Mexico and Colombia it is pasar, pasé el examen. In Argentina it is aprobar too, aprobé. Failing is suspender in Spain, reprobar in Mexico and Colombia, desaprobar in Argentina. Getting a degree is graduarse everywhere, and in Argentina also recibirse.
Good luck
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Good luck | ¡Suerte! | Short and universal |
| Best of luck | ¡Mucha suerte! | |
| Hope it goes well | ¡Que te vaya bien! / ¡Que le vaya bien! (usted) | Also a goodbye |
| Give it everything | ¡Échale ganas! (Mexico) | Very Mexican, used for anything difficult |
| Go for it | ¡Vamos, que tú puedes! / ¡Vos podés! (Argentina) | |
| Wishing you success | ¡Éxitos! (Colombia, Argentina), ¡Mucho éxito! (Mexico) | Colombia uses the plural éxitos constantly |
| Break a leg | ¡Mucha mierda! | To a performer, Spain and Argentina. Only to someone about to go on stage |
¡Mucha mierda! is the theatre version. Actors and musicians in Spain and Argentina say it to each other before a show, where wishing someone suerte counts as unlucky. Outside a theatre it is a swear word.
Get well
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Get well soon | ¡Que te mejores! / ¡Que se mejore! (usted) | The standard, everywhere |
| Feel better | ¡Mejórate pronto! | |
| Hope you feel better | ¡Que te alivies! (Mexico) | Aliviarse for getting over an illness is Mexican |
| Take care of yourself | ¡Cuídate! / ¡Cuidate! (Argentina) / ¡Cuídese! (Colombia, usted) | |
| Rest up | Descansa. / Descansá. (Argentina) | |
| I hope it’s nothing serious | Espero que no sea nada grave. | |
| Sending you a hug | Te mando un abrazo. | The most used line in a message |
You see the Colombian habit of using usted with everyone, including family and close friends, here: que se mejore to a sick friend is normal in Bogotá and would sound stiff in Madrid.
Condolences
This is the section to get right. The register is formal in all four countries, and shorter is better than warmer.
| You want to say | Spanish | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| My deepest condolences | Mi más sentido pésame. | The formal standard, everywhere. Written and spoken |
| My condolences | Mis condolencias. | Slightly more distant, common in writing |
| I’m so sorry | Lo siento mucho. | The everyday one. Safe with anyone |
| I’m so sorry for your loss | Lamento mucho tu pérdida. / su pérdida (usted) | |
| I share your grief | Te acompaño en el sentimiento. / Le acompaño en el sentimiento. | Spain above all, said while shaking a hand at the door |
| A hug | Un abrazo. / Un fuerte abrazo. | Often the whole message |
| My thoughts are with you | Estoy contigo / con ustedes. | |
| May she rest in peace | Que en paz descanse. | Written q.e.p.d. in notices |
| Anything you need | Cualquier cosa que necesites, aquí estoy. | |
| He was a good man | Era una gran persona. |
What not to say: avoid felicidades territory entirely, avoid explaining, and do not ask how the person died unless they raise it. Lo siento mucho and a hand on the arm is a complete and correct response in every one of these countries.
The wake, by country
Mexico: el velorio. Usually held at a funeral home, sometimes at the family home, running through the night, with coffee and food and people coming and going. Going for an hour is normal. Nine days of prayers, el novenario, follow, and there is often a mass on the anniversary. Dark clothes, no flowers required, and money given discreetly to help with costs is common and not rude.
Spain: el tanatorio. A purpose-built building with a viewing room, la sala. You go, you find the family, you say te acompaño en el sentimiento or lo siento mucho, you stay a short while and leave. Visits are brief on purpose. The burial or cremation, el entierro or la incineración, is usually the next day. A wreath, una corona, sent by a workplace is standard.
Colombia: la velación, held at a funeral home, followed by the funeral mass, la misa de cuerpo presente, and then the nine nights of el novenario at the family’s house, where neighbours come to pray and eat. Usted throughout. Saying que en paz descanse when the deceased’s name comes up is expected.
Argentina: el velorio, most often at a funeral home or a sala velatoria, shorter than Mexico’s and ending in el sepelio, the burial. The language at the door is mis condolencias or simply te abrazo.
Toasts
| Mexico | Spain | Colombia | Argentina | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The toast word | ¡Salud! | ¡Salud! | ¡Salud! | ¡Salud! |
| Clinking | ¡Salud! | ¡Chin chin! | ¡Salud! | ¡Chin chin! |
| The long one | ¡Arriba, abajo, al centro, adentro! | ¡Salud, dinero y amor! | ¡Salud! | ¡Salud, y que sea la primera de muchas! |
| To make a toast | hacer un brindis | hacer un brindis | hacer un brindis | hacer un brindis |
| Cheers to you | ¡Por ti! / ¡Por ustedes! | ¡Por vosotros! | ¡Por usted! | ¡Por vos! |
Arriba, abajo, al centro, adentro is Mexico’s, and it comes with the movements: glass up, glass down, glass to the middle, then drink. Everyone at the table does it together.
Writing it down
In a card, a WhatsApp message or an email you need a slightly different register from the spoken version.
| The occasion | What to write | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday card | ¡Feliz cumpleaños! Que pases un día precioso. | Argentina: Que pases un hermoso día. |
| Wedding card | Les deseamos toda la felicidad del mundo. | Les because it is both of them |
| New baby | ¡Enhorabuena! Bienvenida al mundo, Lucía. (Spain) / ¡Felicitaciones! Bienvenida, Lucía. | |
| New job | ¡Felicitaciones! Te deseo mucho éxito en esta nueva etapa. | Etapa, stage, is the standard word for a new chapter |
| Get well | Que te mejores pronto. Un abrazo. | |
| Condolence card | Reciba mis más sinceras condolencias. | Formal, usted, for a colleague or an employer |
| Condolence message | No tengo palabras. Te mando un abrazo muy fuerte. | For a friend |
| A general sign-off | Con mis mejores deseos. | The Spanish “best wishes” |
| A warm sign-off | Un abrazo. / Un beso. | Un beso between friends and family, in every country |
What you will hear back
Gracias, muy amable. Thank you, that is kind. The standard reply to a good wish.
Igualmente. Same to you. The reply to que te vaya bien, feliz Navidad, buen fin de semana.
Que Dios te bendiga. God bless you. Common and sincere in Mexico and Colombia, from people of any degree of religiousness, and it is not a signal to answer in kind.
Gracias por acompañarnos. Thank you for being with us. What the family says to you at a wake, and the answer is lo siento mucho or estamos contigo.
Ay, gracias, qué pena. In Colombia, qué pena means how embarrassing, not what a shame, and people say it when they are pleased and a little abashed.
Ten sentences you can say tomorrow
- ¡Muchas felicidades! Te lo mereces. Congratulations! You deserve it.
- ¡Enhorabuena por el trabajo nuevo! Congratulations on the new job. (Spain)
- ¡Felicitaciones! ¡Qué buena noticia! Congratulations! What great news. (Colombia, Argentina)
- ¡Feliz cumple! Que la pases hermoso. Happy birthday! Have a lovely day. (Argentina)
- ¡Suerte mañana! Échale ganas. Good luck tomorrow! Give it everything. (Mexico)
- Que te mejores pronto, te mando un abrazo. Get well soon, sending you a hug.
- Lo siento mucho. Te acompaño en el sentimiento. I’m so sorry. My condolences. (Spain)
- Mi más sentido pésame a toda la familia. My deepest condolences to the whole family.
- ¡Salud! Por ustedes. Cheers! To you both.
- Les deseamos toda la felicidad del mundo. We wish you all the happiness in the world.
Questions people ask
Felicidades or felicitaciones? Both mean congratulations. People in Mexico and Spain lean to felicidades, in Colombia and Argentina to felicitaciones. Nobody will correct you.
When do I say enhorabuena? In Spain, for something earned or achieved: a job, a baby, a degree, a house. Not for a birthday. Outside Spain it is understood but sounds bookish.
Is “feliz cumpleaños” enough? Yes. Add the person’s name and you sound like a local.
What is “mordida” at a Mexican birthday? The chant for the birthday person to bite the cake, followed by someone pushing their face into it. Expected, affectionate, and you should not be the one to stop it.
How do I say “I’m sorry for your loss”? Lamento mucho tu pérdida, or simply lo siento mucho. The formal written version is mi más sentido pésame.
Is “buena suerte” wrong? No, but suerte or mucha suerte on its own is what people actually say. Buena suerte sounds translated.
What do I bring to a wake? In Spain, a wreath if you are representing a workplace, otherwise nothing. In Mexico and Colombia, flowers, or money handed quietly to a close relative to help with costs. Turning up at all is the point.
Can I say “felicidades” to someone getting married? Yes, everywhere. In Spain enhorabuena fits better, and ¡Vivan los novios! is the shout for the room.
Practise these words
felicidades, felicitar, enhorabuena, cumpleaños, desear, suerte, mejorarse, sentir, lamentar, pésame, abrazo, brindis, merecer. Vozelu is a free website for practising Spanish, and it has each of these. You see a sentence with one word missing, you type the word, and a native voice reads the sentence back. Practise the words on this page.