66.7 Congratulating
jmdn. zu etw. (= dat.) beglückwünschen ‘to congratulate sb. on sth.’
herzliche Glückwünsche zu etw. (= dat.) ‘many congratulations on sth.’
jmdm. zu etw. gratulieren ‘congratulate sb. on sth.’
jmdm. etw. zu etw. wünschen ‘to wish sb. sth. on the occasion of sth.’(a) Congratulations are usually expressed by the verb beglückwünschen ‘to
congratulate’ or the phrase herzliche Glückwünsche ‘many congratulations’:Herzliche Glückwünsche zu eurem Erfolg.
Many congratulations on your success.(b) Congratulations on a new job or a promotion:Herzlichen Glückwunsch zur neuen Stelle.
Congratulations on the new job.Ich beglückwünsche Sie zur Beförderung.
I congratulate you on your promotion. See 38.1 (p. 90) for prepositional verbs.
(c) Congratulations on a birth:Wir gratulieren (Ihnen) zum neuen Baby/zur Geburt Ihres ersten
Kindes.
We send our congratulations on the arrival of the new baby/the birth of
your first child. See 19.6 (p. 28) for verbs that take the dative.
(d) Congratulations on examination success:Ich gratuliere zur bestandenen Prüfung.
Congratulations on passing your exam.(e) An official wedding announcement in the newspaper is also a form of
congratulation:Wir geben die Vermählung unseres Sohnes bekannt.
We have pleasure in announcing the marriage of our son.(f) In Catholic families the First Communion is an important event on which children
are congratulated, particularly by godparents:Zu deiner Erstkommunion wünscht dir alles Gute und Gottes Segen,
dein Taufpate.
All the best and God’s blessing to you on the occasion of your First
Communion, your godfather.Similarly, children are congratulated by their sponsors on their Confirmation (the
Catholic Firmung or Protestant Konfirmation):Zu deiner Firmung, Hans, wünscht dir alles Gute dein Firmpate/
deine Firmpatin.
All the best to you, Hans, for your Confirmation, your sponsor.66
Expressing good wishes