Congratulations in Spanish: Felicidades + Occasion Phrases

The dependable all-purpose way to say “congratulations” in Spanish is ¡Felicidades! You can make the reason explicit with Felicidades por… or Te felicito por…. ¡Enhorabuena! and ¡Felicitaciones! are also established, but personal and regional preferences vary, so match the wording you hear when possible.

The Real Academia Española records felicidades as an interjection expressing congratulation and defines enhorabuena as a congratulation and an interjection used to congratulate someone. Its entry for felicitar includes expressing satisfaction about a fortunate event and wishing someone well. These lexical sources support the core meanings, not a universal preference ranking across countries.

Choose the congratulations phrase by occasion

Felicidades is a practical default because it works without selecting a pronoun. The table does not mean that enhorabuena or felicitaciones belongs to only one occasion or country. Individual, family, workplace, and regional habits overlap.

Felicidades, enhorabuena, felicitaciones, or te felicito?

These phrases share a congratulatory function, but their grammar gives you different options:

• ¡Felicidades! stands alone or introduces the reason with por.
• ¡Enhorabuena! can stand alone or become Enhorabuena por….
• ¡Felicitaciones! is a noun used as a congratulatory expression and can be expanded with por.
• Te felicito states “I congratulate you” to one familiar tú addressee.
• Le felicito addresses one usted addressee.
• Los felicito or Las felicito can address or refer to a group, with agreement and local object-pronoun usage requiring attention.
• Mis felicitaciones works in a complete note and can sound more formal than a one-word exclamation.

There is no evidence here for a simple rule that one expression is “the Latin American version” and another “the Spanish version.” If the recipient used one form when congratulating you, mirroring it is usually clearer than relying on a country label.

Build the message with por and a real detail

Use por + noun to name the result:

• Felicidades por tu graduación. — Congratulations on your graduation.
• Enhorabuena por el premio. — Congratulations on the award.
• Te felicito por tu nuevo trabajo. — I congratulate you on your new job.
• Mis felicitaciones por el ascenso. — My congratulations on the promotion.

You can also use por + infinitive when the action is the reason:

• Te felicito por terminar el proyecto. — Congratulations on finishing the project.
• Felicidades por aprobar el examen. — Congratulations on passing the exam.
• Enhorabuena por completar la carrera. — Congratulations on completing the degree or course.

Add one honest detail after the formula: Sé cuánto trabajaste para conseguirlo (“I know how hard you worked to achieve it”) or Me alegro mucho por ti (“I’m very happy for you”). Avoid inventing a struggle, sacrifice, or emotion you do not actually know.

Formal, informal, singular, and plural forms

Short felicidades avoids address choices. A full verb makes the relationship visible:

Keep tu/su aligned with the relationship. If you begin with le felicito, continue with su logro, not tu logro, unless both speakers have agreed to switch to tú. The tú, usted, and vos guide explains why address choices are social decisions rather than direct English translations.

Congratulations before and after an event

Congratulations normally recognises good news or an achieved milestone. Before an uncertain exam, interview, match, or performance, use a wish such as buena suerte instead. After the result, switch to felicidades or a more specific message.

Mañana tengo el examen final. — ¡Mucha suerte!

I have the final exam tomorrow. — Good luck!

Aprobé el examen. — ¡Felicidades! Sabía que habías estudiado mucho.

I passed the exam. — Congratulations! I knew you had studied hard.

The good luck in Spanish guide owns pre-event wishes. For birthday-specific wording, songs, and replies, use happy birthday in Spanish rather than stretching a general congratulations guide across the whole occasion.

How to reply to congratulations

Gracias is enough. Choose a longer reply when you want to acknowledge the message or continue the conversation:

• Muchas gracias. — Thank you very much.
• Gracias por tus palabras. — Thank you for your words.
• Gracias por acordarte. — Thank you for remembering.
• Te lo agradezco mucho. — I really appreciate it.
• Gracias. Estoy muy contento/contenta. — Thank you. I’m very happy.
• Gracias. Ha sido un esfuerzo de equipo. — Thank you. It was a team effort.
• Muchas gracias a todos. — Thank you very much, everyone.

Do not minimise the person's effort on their behalf. If someone congratulates a team, a specific reply such as Gracias; todos trabajamos mucho keeps the recognition inclusive without claiming that every contribution was identical.

Six real speaking scenarios

Practise the information around the phrase, not only the exclamation.

1. Graduation: ¡Felicidades por tu graduación! ¿Qué vas a hacer ahora? — Muchas gracias. Voy a empezar a trabajar en septiembre.
2. Promotion: Le felicito por su ascenso. — Se lo agradezco mucho.
3. Wedding: ¡Felicidades a los dos! — Muchas gracias por venir.
4. New job: ¡Enhorabuena por el nuevo trabajo! — Gracias. Empiezo el lunes.
5. Team award: Los felicito por el premio. — Gracias. Fue un esfuerzo de equipo.
6. Passed exam: ¡Felicidades por aprobar! — Gracias. Me costó mucho, pero lo conseguí.

Repeat each scene with three changes: relationship, event, and follow-up question. The practice-speaking-Spanish guide can help structure a longer role-play, but automated feedback should not be treated as a final judge of social appropriateness.

A three-turn congratulations drill

1. Hear a piece of good news: Me dieron el trabajo (“They gave me the job”).
2. Congratulate and name the reason: ¡Felicidades por el nuevo trabajo!
3. Ask one genuine follow-up: ¿Cuándo empiezas? (“When do you start?”).
4. Let the recipient reply: Gracias. Empiezo el lunes.
5. Close with a fitting response: Me alegro mucho por ti.

Run the same sequence for a graduation, engagement, promotion, award, and team result. Switch between te felicito, le felicito, and a pronoun-free felicidades so formality becomes part of the speaking decision.

Regional, register, and privacy limits

Usage of felicidades, enhorabuena, and felicitaciones varies within as well as between countries. A dictionary establishes meanings, not current frequency in every age group, office, family, or community. Ask a trusted speaker when a high-stakes formal message matters.

Do not publish private health, pregnancy, relationship, employment, or exam news merely because you want to congratulate someone. Confirm that the person has shared the news. Avoid congratulating someone for an identity, family role, or emotion they did not claim.

In a toast, congratulations may introduce the moment, but the response at the glass-raising step is different; see cheers in Spanish. In a sad or ambiguous situation, do not force a celebratory formula. Listen first and respond to what the person actually said.

LinguaLive sells commercial AI speaking practice and may benefit when readers choose to rehearse Spanish. This phrase guide and drill do not prove that a specific wording is preferred in every region, that software can judge a relationship, or that practice guarantees social or learning outcomes.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best general way to say congratulations in Spanish?

¡Felicidades! is a dependable general starting point. Add the reason with por, as in Felicidades por tu graduación.

What is the difference between felicidades and enhorabuena?

Both can express congratulations. Preferences depend on speaker, region, and situation, so avoid a fixed country rule and mirror the wording you hear when possible.

How do you congratulate someone formally in Spanish?

Use a consistent usted form such as Le felicito por su ascenso or the written formula Reciba mis felicitaciones por su nombramiento.

Can I say congratulations before an exam?

Before an uncertain event, buena suerte is usually the more logical job. Use felicidades after the person passes or reaches the milestone.

Sources and editorial review

This guide was checked against its primary official or academic reference on 28 August 2026. Language usage can vary by region, relationship, and situation. Review the primary source.