German · Real conversations
How to respond to “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!” in German
Birthday wishes can be acknowledged directly or with a comment about remembering and celebrating.
What you might hear
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Happy birthday!
Choose a reply that fits
Danke für die Glückwünsche.
Thank you for the wishes.
A clear thanks for the wishes.
Danke, dass du daran gedacht hast.
Thanks for remembering.
Use when the person remembered your birthday.
Das ist sehr lieb von dir.
That's very sweet of you.
A warm response to a thoughtful message.
Ich freue mich schon aufs Feiern.
I'm looking forward to celebrating.
Share anticipation of a celebration if you want to.
Two short exchanges
A birthday greeting
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!
Happy birthday!
Danke für die Glückwünsche.
Thank you for the wishes.
A thoughtful birthday message
Ich wünsche dir einen wunderschönen Geburtstag.
I hope you have a wonderful birthday.
Danke, dass du daran gedacht hast.
Thanks for remembering.
Your turn
Respond warmly to a thoughtful birthday message.
Reveal a sample reply
Das ist sehr lieb von dir.
That's very sweet of you.
This response guide in other languages
A note on speaking German
Use Sie for formal address and du with people you address informally. Könnten Sie …? is a useful polite request. Keep noun capitals and the verb position shown in each complete sentence.
The examples preserve German accents and ß. Read a full sentence before replacing a detail: a subordinate clause can move the verb to the end, and case can change an article or pronoun.
