Grammar Lesson 63:

Auguri: Greetings and Wishes

In Italian the standard phrase you use on special occasions to express good wishes is “tanti auguri”. It literally means “many wishes” but, of course, translates in English as “best wishes” / “all the best”. It is often followed by the preposition di + the name of a festival / recurrence preceded by the adjectives buono (in all its forms, often elided in buon), which translates as good / merry or felice (in all its forms), which translates as merry / happy.
 
Examples:

- Tanti auguri di buon compleanno / I wish you a happy birthday
- Tanti auguri di Buon Natale / I wish you a Merry Christmas
 
Auguri is the plural form of the masculine noun augurio which means wish, greeting, but also omen, depending on the context.
 
The verb you use to wish someone something is augurare (1st conjugation).
 
For example:

- Ti auguro un avvenire ricco di successi e felicità / I wish you a happy and successful future
 
On someone’s birthday you traditionally sing the Italian version of Happy Birthday to You to the birthday person which goes like this:
 
Tanti auguri a te
tanti auguri a te
tanti auguri a [NAME]
tanti auguri a te
 
Some expressions:

Biglietto d’auguri / Greetings card
Auguri di Buon Natale / Christmas greetings
Tanti auguri di Buon Natale! / Merry Christmas!
Auguri di Buone Feste / Season’s greetings
Augurare la buona notte a qualcuno / To bid someone good night
Augurare buon viaggio a qualcuno / To wish someone a good journey



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