Planning a birthday party? Heading to a wedding? In this lesson, you’ll learn the Spanish you need for celebrations: how to invite people, what to bring, and what to say during the party. We’ll keep it practical, with short phrases you can use right away and quick exercises to build confidence.

Vocabulario clave: cumpleaños, bodas y fiestas

We’ll start with core words you’ll hear at any celebration. Read the word, then say the example sentence out loud.

Frases útiles

Say these at birthdays and weddings:

Invitar con confianza: ¿Quieres venir?

To invite someone, use simple friendly questions:

• ¿Quieres venir a mi fiesta? = Do you want to come to my party?
• ¿Te gustaría venir a la boda? = Would you like to come to the wedding?
• Te invito a mi cumpleaños. = I invite you to my birthday party / I’m having you over.

For plans, Spanish often uses ir a + infinitive (to be going to + verb): “Vamos a celebrar” = “We’re going to celebrate.”

Este sábado vamos a el cumpleaños de Marta.

¿Quieres a mi fiesta?

Aceptar o rechazar

• Sí, me encantaría. = Yes, I’d love to.
• Claro, gracias. = Of course, thanks.
• Lo siento, no puedo. = Sorry, I can’t.
• Trabajo esa noche. = I work that night.

Traer vs. llevar (bring vs. take)

This pair can be tricky:

• traer = to bring (toward where the speaker is)
• llevar = to take/carry (away from where the speaker is)

Examples:

• ¿Puedes traer el pastel a mi casa? = Can you bring the cake to my house? (toward me)
• Mañana voy a llevar los regalos a la fiesta. = Tomorrow I’m going to take the gifts to the party. (away from here)

¿Puedes llevar el pastel a mi casa? → ¿Puedes traer el pastel a mi casa? Use traer when the destination is the speaker’s place.

En una fiesta de cumpleaños

Typical moments:

• Cantar “Cumpleaños feliz”. = Sing “Happy Birthday”.
• Soplamos las velas. = We blow out the candles.
• Abrir regalos. = Open gifts.
• Hacer fotos. = Take photos.

Cultural tip: In many Spanish-speaking countries, people say ¡Feliz cumpleaños! and often add ¡Que cumplas muchos más! (May you have many more!).

Soplamos las del pastel.

En una boda

Useful words:

• anillo = ring
• traje (for men), vestido (for women) = suit, dress
• ceremonia, banquete = ceremony, reception
• los novios = the newlyweds

Useful phrases:

• ¡Felicidades a los novios! = Congratulations to the newlyweds!
• Te presento a mi esposa/esposo. = I introduce you to my wife/husband.
• ¿Quieres bailar? = Do you want to dance?

Por vs. para (quick wedding phrases)

• brindamos por los novios = we toast for/to the newlyweds (reason/target of the toast)
• un regalo para Ana = a gift for Ana (recipient)

So use por with brindis (toasts), and para for intended recipient or purpose.

Mini-práctica final

Two quick blanks to check your understanding.

Hoy 30 años.

Vamos a por los novios.

Recap y ánimo

You learned party-ready Spanish: invitations (¿Quieres venir?), useful phrases (¡Feliz cumpleaños!, ¡Felicidades!, ¡Salud!), and key verbs (celebrar, traer, llevar, brindar). You also saw cultural notes and the difference between por and para.

Keep it real: Next time there’s a celebration, try one new phrase. Te invito a practicar: send a message to a friend in Spanish—“¿Quieres venir a mi fiesta?”—and celebrate your progress. ¡Lo estás haciendo muy bien!