Is it correct to say “many happy returns!” without “of the day” part when wishing for someone?
Hi friends,

I have 02 questions.

1. Is it correct to say “many happy returns!” without “of the day” part when wishing for someone?

2. If so, can I use “many happy returns” to wish someone for anything? E.g. birthdays, anniversaries, passing an exam etc.

Thanks in advance,
Niwantha

Question

Is it correct to say “many happy returns!” without “of the day” part when wishing for someone?
Hi friends,

I have 02 questions.

1.	Is it correct to say “many happy returns!” without “of the day” part when wishing for someone?

2.	If so, can I use “many happy returns” to wish someone for anything? E.g. birthdays, anniversaries, passing an exam etc.

Thanks in advance,
Niwantha

Answer

Thanks a lot for helping me out, Mark!

Answer

You can say "many happy returns". If you omit "of the day" it is fine. You only use this phrase for birthdays, not anniversaries nor passing an exam.
It would be better to say "Congratulations!" for anniversaries or passing an exam. For anniversaries, you could be really nice and say, " Congratulations! May you have many more happy years ahead."

I hope this assists you.
Teacher Mark

لا تفوّت فرصة تعلّم لغة جديدة وأنت مرتاح في منزلك. تصفّح مجموعتنا المختارة من مدرّسي اللغات ذوي الخبرة وسجّل في درسك الأول الآن!