Congratulations in Italian: 20+ Phrases for Every Occasion

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How do you say “congratulations” in Italian? Use congratulazioni for a formal or important achievement, complimenti when you’re praising someone’s work, and auguri for birthdays, weddings and other good wishes.

We Italians give plenty of importance to celebrations, big or small, so you’ll hear several expressions that English might translate as “congratulations”.

You can also say bravo, brava, bravi or brave for “well done”, matching the person or group you’re speaking to.

The right phrase depends on the occasion, your relationship and whether you’re praising an achievement or wishing someone well.

This guide gives you more than 20 phrases for good work, new jobs, engagements, weddings, births and the replies you can use when someone congratulates you.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

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Start with the four everyday choices above, then add the occasion-specific phrases you’re most likely to need.

How To Say “Congratulations” in Italian: Congratulazioni!

The most direct translation of “congratulations” is congratulazioni.

With it, you get phrases such as le mie congratulazioni (“my congratulations”) or even le mie più sincere congratulazioni (“my most sincere congratulations”).

“Congratulations” and congratulazioni look very similar because they are cognates: words in different languages with a shared origin and similar meaning. That makes congratulazioni one of the easiest expressions on this list to remember.

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It isn’t the only expression you can use, though, and it can sound more formal than the everyday alternatives.

It fits weddings, births, graduations and important achievements. To praise a friend’s cake or a job well done, complimenti or bravo/a will usually sound more natural.

If you’ve studied Italian for a little while already, chances are you’ve come across words like auguri, felicitazioni, and complimenti. Depending on the context, you might have assumed they also translate to “congratulations”.

All three can overlap with “congratulations”, but they work best in different situations.

When to Use Complimenti for Congratulations in Italian

Complimenti literally means “compliments” in Italian. (Yes, it’s another pair of cognates!)

You can often use complimenti to congratulate someone, especially when you want to express your admiration.

Here are some examples:

• Complimenti, questo piatto che hai cucinato è buonissimo! – “Well done, this dish you cooked is delicious!”
• La tua canzone è piaciuta a tutti, complimenti! – “Everyone liked your song. Well done!”
• Ho visto che hai preso un bel voto all’esame. Complimenti! – “I saw that you got a good mark on your exam. Congratulations!”

Complimenti is more relaxed than congratulazioni. Like English “well done”, it can also be ironic when the tone and context make that clear.

Examples:

• Complimenti, ti sei fatto prendere in giro – “Well done, you let yourself be fooled.”
• Hai perso una partita facile, complimenti – “You lost an easy match. Well done.”

When your tone is warm and the achievement is clear, complimenti is a useful everyday choice.

When to Use Auguri and Felicitazioni for Congratulations in Italian

Auguri means “wishes”. You’ll often hear it with tanti (“many”) in the phrase tanti auguri (“best wishes”).

Two broad situations will help you decide when to use auguri:

• celebrations such as birthdays, anniversaries and holidays
• wishes for something that is about to happen

For celebrations, that includes birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, New Year and occasions such as Mother’s or Father’s Day.

On these occasions, you can also name the celebration directly. Examples include buon compleanno (“happy birthday”) and Buon Natale (“Merry Christmas”).

You can also use auguri to wish someone well for what comes next. On a friend’s wedding day, for example, you might say Tantissimi auguri per la vostra vita insieme (“Best wishes for your life together”).

That difference is useful around weddings: congratulazioni recognises the engagement or marriage, while auguri offers good wishes for the couple’s future.

Felicitazioni is a formal alternative to congratulazioni. It suits a card, written announcement or a relationship where a more formal register feels natural.

The boundaries aren’t perfectly clear-cut, and usage varies with the occasion and the speaker.

When I learn a new language and find myself in this situation, I pay attention to what native speakers choose.

As a native Italian speaker, I’ll give you a few reliable starting points for specific occasions.

How to Say “Congratulations” to Someone Who Did a Good Job in Italian

To say “well done”, match bravo to the person or people you’re praising: bravo for one man or boy, brava for one woman or girl, bravi for a masculine or mixed group, and brave for an all-female group.

Used on its own, these forms often match English “well done”.

Examples:

• Hai passato l’esame, brava! – “You passed the exam. Well done!”
• Bravo, sei riuscito a risolvere il problema! – “You managed to solve the problem. Well done!”

Ottimo lavoro (“great work”) is another way of saying “well done” or “good job” in Italian. That’s what you could tell someone who has completed a task well.

Example:

• Siete riusciti a trovare il pezzo mancante del puzzle. Ottimo lavoro. – “You managed to find the missing piece of the jigsaw. Well done.”

For a new job, say Congratulazioni per il nuovo lavoro! (“Congratulations on the new job!”).

Auguri per il nuovo lavoro! works too when you want to wish them success in the role.

Before an interview, first day or other challenge, in bocca al lupo is the Italian equivalent of “good luck” or “break a leg”. It wishes success rather than congratulating something that has already happened.

For retirement, Congratulazioni per la pensione! celebrates the milestone, while Auguri per la pensione! offers good wishes for the years ahead.

Examples of Congratulations in Italian for Engagements and Weddings

“Engagement” in Italian is fidanzamento. You can say Congratulazioni per il tuo fidanzamento! to one person, or use the plural possessive when speaking to the couple.

To the couple, say Congratulazioni per il vostro fidanzamento!

For a wedding, congratulazioni is a natural choice.

As “marriage” is matrimonio and “wedding” is nozze, say Congratulazioni per il matrimonio! or Congratulazioni per le nozze!

There are a few more ways to share your good wishes on the day.

Guests may shout Evviva gli sposi! (“Long live the newlyweds!”) during a brindisi (“toast”). They’ll say cin cin as they clink their glasses.

On a card, you can write Vi auguro tante belle cose (“I wish you many beautiful things”) or the more specific Tantissimi auguri per la vostra vita insieme (“Best wishes for your life together”).

What Congratulations to Use in Italian for the Arrival of a Baby

For a pregnancy, birth or baptism, choose one clear phrase rather than stacking several alternatives with slashes.

Use dolce attesa (“sweet expectation”) for pregnancy, nascita for the birth, and battesimo for a baptism.

Here are a few phrases you might want to use with expecting or new parents:

• Congratulazioni per la tua gravidanza! – “Congratulations on your pregnancy!”
• Tanti auguri per la dolce attesa! – “Best wishes for your pregnancy!”
• Congratulazioni per la nascita! – “Congratulations on the birth!”
• Tanti auguri per il battesimo! – “Best wishes for the baptism!”

How to Say “To Congratulate” in Italian: Congratularsi

The Italian verb for “to congratulate” is the pronominal verb congratularsi.

Although its ending resembles a reflexive verb, Italian uses congratularsi con qualcuno for congratulating someone.

Use con before the person receiving the congratulations:

• Mi congratulo con te – “I congratulate you” (singular informal)
• Mi congratulo con Lei – “I congratulate you” (singular formal)
• Mi congratulo con voi – “I congratulate you” (plural)

How to Say “Many Congratulations” in Italian: Molte Congratulazioni

You can add quantity or emphasis when plain congratulazioni doesn’t feel strong enough.

Useful choices include molte congratulazioni (“many congratulations”), mille congratulazioni (“a thousand congratulations”) and le mie più sincere congratulazioni (“my most sincere congratulations”).

You can also say tanti complimenti when complimenti suits the situation better.

Italian also uses the suffix -issimo/a/i/e to intensify many adjectives. Its ending changes to agree with the noun or person involved.

Here are some examples of how -issimo/a/i/e can work with congratulations:

• Moltissime felicitazioni! – “Many congratulations!”
• Tantissimi auguri! – “Best wishes!”
• Bravissimo! – “Very well done!” (to one man or boy)

The suffix attaches to an adjective, as in tantissimi or bravissima, rather than to the noun auguri. Not every combination sounds natural, so learn these common forms as complete phrases.

Listen for which form native speakers choose, then copy the whole expression rather than building a new one on the spot.

One more conversational option uses ma, the usual word for “but”, as an emphatic introduction.

In the right tone, it adds surprise or enthusiasm:

Examples:

• Ma complimenti!
• Ma che brava! (“You did brilliantly!”)

It can suggest that the person exceeded your expectations.

It can sometimes be used ironically too, but it all depends on the tone!

How to Respond to Congratulations in Italian

When someone congratulates you, a simple thank-you is usually the most natural reply.

So here are a few ways you can answer congratulations in Italian:

• Grazie mille – “Thanks a million.”
• Ti ringrazio – “Thank you.”
• Ma grazie! – “Why, thank you!”
• Grazie di essere venuto/a – “Thank you for coming” (to one person).
• Grazie di essere venuti/e – “Thank you for coming” (to a group).
• Sei gentile, grazie! – “You’re kind, thank you!”

Match the reply to the moment: grazie is enough in most conversations, while the longer forms fit an event or a warmer exchange.

If you want to learn more about how to say thank you in Italian, check out this post. It lists 27 ways to be grateful in Italian, including food!

Now You Know How to Say “Congratulations” Like an Italian!

Start with four phrases: congratulazioni for an important achievement, complimenti for good work, auguri for celebrations and future wishes, and the right form of bravo for “well done”.

Pick one real occasion for each phrase and say the whole sentence aloud. You can also try them with your AI Italian tutor and practise the reply as well.

If you want more useful vocabulary, continue with the 500 core Italian words.

Learn a small set, use it in complete sentences and come back for the next set once you can recall it without looking.

That’s worth celebrating. Ottimo lavoro!