How do you say happy anniversary in Italian?

How exactly do you say happy anniversary in Italian?

In this lesson, we will take a look at the different ways you can translate this sentence and also see what kind of anniversaries are there to celebrate in Italian. Read on to learn them all!

Let’s start! Iniziamo!

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How do you say happy anniversary in Italian?

Buon anniversario

Buon anniversario is how you most commonly translate happy anniversary in Italian.

If you are somewhat familiar with Italian, you will know that buono means good. So why did we drop its final -o here? Anniversario is a masculine word, so it should be buono anniversario, right?

Well, you may not know about this pesky rule: buono gets truncated as buon when…

• it precedes a vowel
• it precedes a consonant + vowel cluster or consonant + R/L

For example, we will say…

Buon amico
Good friend
(Vowel)

Buon libro
Good book
(Consonant + vowel)

Buon premio
Good prize
(Consonant + R)

So we say: buon anniversario!

Alla mia adorata moglie, buon anniversario!
To my darling wife, happy anniversary!

Now let’s see another way you can translate happy anniversary.

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Felice anniversario

You can also say felice anniversario, literally translating happy anniversary in Italian.

What difference is there between the two forms? None. It’s up to your taste to choose either, but as a native, I’d say that felice anniversario is just a bit more uncommon than buon anniversario.

Felice anniversario is the form you would find on a gift card, for example. In everyday speech, buon anniversario is more common and spontaneous.

Now, what’s the most important anniversary in Italian? Let’s see!

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Wedding anniversary in Italian

The most common kind of anniversary in Italian is of course the wedding anniversary.

Oggi è il nostro anniversario di matrimonio.
Today is our wedding anniversary.

Tom e Mary hanno appena festeggiato il loro anniversario d’argento.
Tom and Mary just celebrated their silver anniversary.

L’anniversario d’oro si celebra quando due persone sono sposate da cinquant’anni.
A golden wedding anniversary is when two people have been married for fifty years.

Silver and gold anniversary are most commonly known in Italy as nozze d’argento and nozze d’oro.

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Other examples with the word anniversary in Italian

If you need other examples with the word for anniversary in Italian, here they are!

Cosa ti ha regalato il tuo ragazzo per il vostro anniversario?
What did your boyfriend give you for your anniversary?

Si è dimenticato dell’anniversario di matrimonio.
He forgot his wedding anniversary.

Lorenzo non dimentica mai di regalare fiori alla moglie per il loro anniversario di matrimonio.
Lorenzo never forgets to give his wife flowers on their wedding anniversary.

Pochissime persone sono state invitate a festeggiare l’anniversario della coppia.
Very few people have been invited to celebrate the anniversary of the couple.

Un anniversario di nozze d’argento celebra 25 anni di matrimonio.
A silver wedding anniversary celebrates 25 years of marriage.

And that’s it, now you know how to say happy anniversary in Italian in all its forms!

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