German word

gratulieren

Pronunciation

IPA/gʁatuˈliːʁən/

Meaning

  • verbcongratulate

Example

Wir gratulieren ihm zur Hochzeit.

We congratulate him on his marriage.

Illustration for gratulieren (congratulate)

More examples

Ich gratulierte ihr telefonisch zum bestandenen Examen.

I congratulated her by telephone on passing her exam.

Core concept

A person responds to someone else's happy milestone by expressing shared joy in words.

Common phrases

  • jemandem zum Geburtstag gratulieren

    congratulate someone on their birthday

  • jemandem zur Hochzeit gratulieren

    congratulate someone on their wedding

  • jemandem zum bestandenen Examen gratulieren

    congratulate someone on passing their exam

Similar words

wünschen: To state good wishes for someone's happiness or success.
glückwünschen: To voice congratulations on someone's luck or achievement.
anstoßen: To honor an occasion by raising and clinking glasses.
feiern: To enjoy and mark an occasion together with others.

Definition in German

jemandem Glückwünsche sagen

Word origin

German gratulieren is a learned borrowing from Latin gratulari, meaning to express joy or offer congratulations.

Usage tips

  • The recipient takes the dative, while the occasion follows zu with the dative, as in jemandem zur Hochzeit gratulieren.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word