How to ask ‘When is your birthday’ in French? – The best guide for English speakers.

Do you know how to say ‘when is your birthday’ in French? Here is the answer: Quand est-ce qu’est ton anniversaire ?

Is there only one way to say it? …mmm… I don’t think so.

I invite you to read this article because you will learn MUCH MORE than just a sentence. By the end of this article, you will be:

comfortable engaging in a dialogue (with native French speakers) related to the theme of birthdays.
able to express dates in general and birthdays in French PERFECTLY.

It might be a bit challenging at the moment, but after reading the various paragraphs, working with the two dialogues, and completing the final exercise, EVERYTHING WILL BE UNDERSTOOD AND EASY.

I’m Thomas Ricomard, I’ve been teaching French for over 7 years to students from all around the world.

Sommaire

Expressing birthdays in French

I give you here key phrases and vocabulary for sharing and asking for birthdays in the French language, so if you don’t know and you want to know how to do this, I invite you to read the following, here we go!

Let’s see first…

10 common phrases to share your birthday

How to tell someone your birthday using basic French expressions?

C’est mon anniversaire aujourd’hui.
It’s my birthday, today.

C’est le jour de ma naissance, aujourd’hui.
It’s the day of my birth, today.

C’est ma date de naissance, aujourd’hui !
It’s my birthdate, today!

Aujourd’hui, c’est ma date d’anniversaire !
Today, is my anniversary date!

Demain, je souffle une bougie de plus.
Tomorrow, I’ll be blowing out one more candle.

Je célèbre mon anniversaire mercredi prochain, le 2 Novembre.
I’m celebrating my birthday next Wednesday, on November 2nd.

J’ai un an de plus, aujourd’hui.
I’m a year older, today.

Je fêterai un an de plus, demain.
I’ll be celebrating one more year, tomorrow.

Aujourd’hui, c’est le jour où je prends un an de plus !
Today, is the day I turn a year older!

Je célèbre une nouvelle année.
I’m celebrating a new year.

Exercise

To be sure you’ll remember how to share your birthday in French, translate into French these 3 phrases (write your answers in the comments and i’ll give you a feed-back)

………………………………………………
Today, I am one year older.

………………………………………………
Tomorrow, it’s my birthday.

………………………………………………………………………
I am celebrating my birthday next Friday.

And then…

10 ways to ask someone about their birthday

How to ask someone when their birthday is in polite French contexts, in 5 ways?

Pourriez-vous me communiquer la date de votre anniversaire, s’il vous plaît ?
Could you please provide me with the date of your birthday?

Avez-vous la gentillesse de me dire quand vous célébrez votre anniversaire ?
Would you be so kind as to tell me when you celebrate your birthday?

Pourriez-vous m’indiquer la date de votre anniversaire pour que je puisse marquer cette occasion spéciale dans notre calendrier ?
Could you let me know the date of your birthday so that I can mark this special occasion on our calendar?

Serait-il envisageable de me fournir la date exacte de votre naissance pour mettre à jour nos informations personnelles ?
Would it be possible for you to provide me with the exact date of your birth to update our personal information?

Pourriez-vous me communiquer la date de votre anniversaire afin que je puisse le noter correctement dans nos registres ?
Could you inform me of the date of your birthday so that I can record it accurately in our records?

How to ask someone when their birthday is in familiar French contexts, in 5 ways?

Quand est-ce que tu es né ?
When were you born?

C’est quoi ta date de naissance déjà ?
What’s your date of birth again?

Ton anniversaire est quand ? / Ton anniversaire c’est quand ?
The literal translation would be ‘Your birthday is when?’

Je ne me rappelle jamais, tu es né(e) quand exactement ?
I never remember, when were you born exactly?

Quand est-ce que tu souffles tes bougies ?
When do you blow out your candles?

To learn more useful French sentences: click here.

Exercise

To be sure you’ll remember how to ask someone about their birthday in French, translate into French these 3 phrases (write your answers in the comments and i’ll give you a feed-back)

…………………………………………………..
When were you born, please?

………………………………………………………………………….
Can you tell me your date of birth, please?

……………………………………………………………………
When do you celebrate your birthday?

To remember

To facilitate your learning, maximize retention of information in long-term memory and ensure that you express yourself correctly in an exchange with native French speakers, you can memorize only these phrases

C’est mon anniversaire aujourd’hui.
It’s my birthday, today.

Quand est-ce que tu es né ?
When were you born?

Click here → Premium French Course

Learning how to say 'when is your birthday in French?'

Structure dates in French

To understand how dates are expressed in French!

The French calendar: days and months

What are the French words for the seven days of the week and the twelve months of the year?

Here rare the French words for the seven days of the week

French	English
Le lundi	Monday
Le mardi	Tuesday
Le mercredi	Wednesday
Le jeudi	Thursday
Le vendredi	Friday
Le samedi	Saturday
Le dimanche	Sunday

To watch a video on how to pronounce the 7 days of the week in French: click here.

Here rare the French words for the twelve months of the year

French	English
Janvier	January
Février	February
Mars	March
Avril	April
Mai	May
Juin	June
Juillet	July
Août	August
Septembre	September
Octobre	October
Novembre	November
Décembre	December

Ordinal numbers and their usage

How to structure ordinal numbers when specifying dates, particularly for birthdates?

In French, when we want to specify a date, first we specify the number of the day, secondly the month, and thirdly we mention the year:

the day
the month
the year

Here are 5 dates as examples with two different ways of writing them

Le 5 août 2002 – the5^thof August2002 – August 5^th, 2002 – August 5, 2002
05/08/2002 – 08/05/2002

Le 4 avril 1987 – the 4^th of April 1987 – April 4^th, 1987 – April 4, 1987
04/04/1987 – 04/04/1987

Le 30 Octobre 2024 – the 30^th of October 2024 – October 30^th, 2024 – October 30, 2024
30/10/2024 -10/30/2024

Le 7 décembre 2028 – the7^th of December 2028 – December 7^th, 2028 – December 7, 2028
07/12/2028 -12/07/2028

Le 8 Juin 1937 – the 8^th of June 1937 – June 8^th, 1937 – June 8, 1937
08/06/1937 – 06/08/1937

Here are 5 dates of birth as examples

Mon anniversaire est le 6 Juin 1987.
My birthday is on June 6, 1987.

Mon anniversaire est ce mois-ci, c’est le 3.
My birthday is this month, it’s on the 3rd.

Elle a son anniversaire en juillet, le 20.
Her birthday is in July, on the 20th.

Le 9 décembre c’est l’anniversaire de Sophie.
December 9th is Sophie’s birthday.

Il est né en 1937, le 4 septembre.
He was born in 1937, on September 4th.

If you want to see more examples with dates: click here.

Exercise

To be sure you remember how to express a birthday date in writing and orally in French, translate into French these 3 phrases (write your answers in the comments and i’ll give you a feed-back)

……………………………………………………………
My birthday is on October 4, 1987.

………………………………………………………………………….
My sister’s birthday is on January 10, 2002.

……………………………………………………………
My birthday is on October 7, 1990.

To remember

To facilitate your learning, maximize retention of information in long-term memory and ensure that you write correctly dates in French, focus on this

Mon anniversaire c’est le 5 août 1984.
My birthday is on August 5, 1984.

Mon anniversaire c’est le 05/08/1984.
My birthday is on August 5, 1984.

Oprah Winfrey
The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Celebrating birthdays in French culture

Explore the customs and traditions associated with birthdays in French-speaking countries.

Typical French birthday celebrations

Discover what a typical birthday party looks like in France and how it’s celebrated.

Family and/or friends meeting: in France, birthday celebrations are generally attended by friends and close family.

A place to celebrate: there are many places to celebrate a birthday (home, restaurant, bar, night club).

Giving gifts: guests bring gifts wrapped in gift paper.

Birthday cake: there’s always a birthday cake with candles on it, and the number of candles corresponds to the age of the birthday boy or girl.

Conviviality: everyone wants to have a good time, so the emphasis is on sharing good times between people.

Games: games can be organized, especially for children.

Singing one of the most famous French song: the title of the song is Joyeux Anniversaire, family and friends sing it in honor of the birthday boy or girl.

Click on these 2 videos to learn the very famous French song Joyeux Anniversaire.

Gift-giving etiquette

The dos and don’ts of giving birthday gifts in a French cultural context.

The dos

Choose the right gift: choose a gift that shows you know the person and know what makes them happy.

Make a neat gift wrap: In France, beautiful packaging is always appreciated, as it shows that you’ve taken the time to make an attractive presentation for the birthday boy or girl.

A small card: add a small card with a personal message, in French culture words are important and always appreciated, because you took the time to write a kind word.

Offer experiences: this is something which is really appreciated, it could be a concert ticket, money to do an activity,…

Gifts to share: people like sharing a box of chocolate, for example.

The don’ts

Overpriced gifts: it may make the person feel uncomfortable, or it may be misinterpreted.

Wrong choice 1: choose a gift that shows you’ve thought about what would please the person.

Wrong choice 2: it’s best not to give gifts that may be politically or religiously controversial.

Respect traditions: follow in the footsteps of birthday gift traditions, if need be.

If you celebrate at a friend’s place: click here to know French pastries you can bring over.
If you do it in a café or a restaurant: click here to know how to order in French.
If you want to cook veggies: click here to know their French names.

Click here → Premium French Course

People talking about celebrating a birthday

Practicing birthday-related conversations

Practical language exercises and scenarios to reinforce your ability to discuss birthdays in French.

Role-playing scenarios

Engage in typical dialogues that focus on sharing and inquiring about birthdays. I invite you to practice these dialogues with someone else, make it interactive, it’s more fun!

Dialogue 1

Julie : C’est bientôt l’anniversaire de Claire, ce serait sympa d’organiser un évènement-surprise.
Claire’s birthday is coming up soon; it would be nice to organize a surprise event.

Sophie : Oui. Je suis d’accord pour t’aider à l’organsier, tu as des idées ?
Yes, I agree to help you organize it. Do you have any ideas?

Julie : Elle est curieuse, elle aime vivre de nouvelles expériences, je pense qu’un dîner dans un restaurant dans lequel on peut assister à un spectacle original est une bonne idée.
She’s curious and enjoys new experiences. I think a dinner at a restaurant where we can watch an original show is a good idea.

Sophie : Génial, je vais regarder son compte Facebook pour voir si je trouve indices.
Great, I’ll check her Facebook account to see if I can find any clues.

Julie : Super, merci. On va bien s’amuser.
Awesome, thanks. We’re going to have a great time.

Dialogue 2

Camille : Bertrand m’a dit que c’est l’anniversaire de Jules bientôt. Quelle est la date ?
Bertrand told me that Jules’s birthday is coming up. What’s the date?

Julien : C’est le 2 juillet, il est né en 1988.
It’s on July 2^nd, he was born in 1988.

Camille : Tu as une idée de cadeau à lui offrir ?
Do you have any gift ideas for him?

Julien : Il me semble qu’il aime beaucoup marcher, peut-être que des chaussures de montagne lui ferait plaisir. Je vais demander à sa mère pour être sûr.
I think he really enjoys hiking, so maybe a pair of mountain boots would make him happy. I’ll check with his mom to be sure.

Written exercises

Work on writing exercises that help solidify your understanding of dates and birthday vocabulary.

Answer and complete these 10 questions and affirmative phrases
(write your answers in the comments and i’ll give you a feed-back)

Quelle jour sommes-nous ? ………………………………………..
What day is it today?

Quelle est la date de demain ? ………………………………………..
What is tomorrow’s date?

Quelle est ta date d’anniversaire ? ………………………………………..
What is your date of birth?

Quand est-ce que ta mère est née ? ………………………………………..
When was your mother born?

Quelle est le jour de la naissance de ton frère ou de ta soeur ? …………………………………….
What is the day of birth of your brother or sister?

En quelle année est née Sophie ? ………………………………………..
What year was Sophie born?

Mon anniversaire, c’est le ………………………………………..
My birthday is on the ………………………………………..

Quand est-ce que tu souffles tes bougies ? ………………………………………..
When do you blow out your candles?

Quel mois est-ce que vous êtes né ? ………………………………………..
What month were you born in? ………………………………………..

Tu es née en quelle année ? ………………………………………..
What year were you born?