| How to Say Happy Birthday in Spanish Posted: 18 Sep 2021 05:00 PM PDT If you have Spanish-speaking friends, you probably want to wish them a happy birthday in their native language. The most common way to say "happy birthday" in Spanish is to say "feliz cumpleaños" (fay-LEEZ KOOM-play-ahn-yohs). There are a few other things you can also say to make your birthday wishes more special or personalized. You may also want to share in the cultural traditions surrounding birthday celebrations in your friend's native country.[1] [Edit]Sample Cheat Sheets [Edit]Expressing Basic Birthday Wishes - Say "¡Feliz cumpleaños!" This phrase means "happy birthday" and is used to greet someone on their birthday. It is suitable for anyone in any situation. Pronounce "feliz cumpleaños" fay-LEEZ KOOM-play-ahn-yohs.[2]
- You can add the name of the person or their relationship to you if you feel so inclined. For example, if you were wishing happy birthday to your mother, you might say "¡Feliz cumpleaños, mi madre!"
- If you want to say "happy birthday" in a more informal way to a friend, you can also say "feliz cumple" (fay-LEEZ KOOM-play).[3]
- Use "felicidades" to express general congratulations. "Felicidades" (fay-lee-see-DAH-days) means "congratulations." While it may seem odd for you to tell someone "congratulations" on their birthday, it's a common birthday wish for Spanish-speakers. This is especially appropriate if you've already wished the person a happy birthday once.[4]
- For example, if you were attending a friend's birthday party, you might say "feliz cumpleaños" when you arrived, then say "felicidades" as you were leaving.
- You can also say "felicidades en tu día," which means "congratulations on your day."
- Tell the birthday celebrant you hope they have many more. On someone's birthday, it's common to wish them a long life or express the hope that they celebrate many more birthdays to follow. If you wanted to express this sentiment in Spanish, you would say "¡Que cumplas muchos más!"[5]
- A literal translation of the phrase would be "that you complete many more." Pronounce it "kay KOOM-plahs MOO-chohs mahs."
- Sing the "Happy Birthday" song in Spanish. The basic Spanish birthday song uses the same tune as the song in English, which you may already be familiar with. However, the Spanish lyrics don't necessarily translate directly to the lyrics in English.[6]
- The lyrics for the basic Latin American birthday song are: "¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ti! Feliz cumpleaños querido/a (name), feliz cumpleaños a ti. Ya queremos pastel, Ya queremos pastel, aunque sea un pedacito, pero queremos pastel."
- In Spain, on the other hand, you would sing "Cumpleaños feliz, cumpleaños feliz, te deseamos todos, cumpleaños feliz."
[Edit]Celebrating Birthdays in Spain or Latin America - Prepare to celebrate with the entire family. In Spanish-speaking cultures, a birthday is considered a family affair. Even though friends may be invited to the party, birthday parties are traditionally thrown by the family of the birthday celebrant. The whole family including extended family are typically there.[7]
- If you're a friend at one of these parties, expect the family to be warm, loving, and inviting. Especially in Spain, you may find yourself hugging a lot of people you don't know.
- Recognize the significance of the quinceañera for a 15-year-old girl. In Latin American countries, particularly Mexico, a girl's 15th birthday signifies her coming of age. The occasion traditionally begins with a church service and requires formal attire.[8]
- Part of the church service is the "misa de acción de gracias," through which the girl gives thanks for completing childhood.
- The "festejada" (birthday girl) traditionally receives gifts from her family, including tiaras and jewelry.
- The party typically includes an elaborate banquet of food, followed by music and dancing that can last into the wee hours.
- Eat a "tres leches" cake at Mexican birthday parties. The "tres leches" cake is a giant, multi-colored cake that serves as the centerpiece for Mexican birthday parties. These cakes are often decorated in a theme reflecting something the birthday celebrant enjoys.[9]
- For example, if the person celebrating their birthday is a huge fútbol fan, you could expect the "tres leches" cake to be iced to look like a fútbol pitch, complete with tiny players and fans in the grandstands cheering on their teams.
- Hit a piñata while blindfolded. A piñata is one of the most well-known Spanish traditions. These brightly colored papel maché figures come in various shapes and sizes and are filled with small toys and sweets. Partygoers take turns trying to hit the piñata with a stick until it bursts, spraying goodies everywhere for all the partygoers to have.[10]
- The donkey-shaped piñata typically sold in the US and Europe is rarely seen in Latin American countries. The piñata may have a shape that reflects the theme of the "tres leches" cake.
- While partygoers attempt to hit the piñata, the others sing the traditional piñata song, which starts "Dale, dale, dale." The song encourages the person to have good aim and hit the piñata so it bursts for everyone's enjoyment, raining down the sweets they crave.
- Watch the birthday celebrant have their face smashed into a cake. In Mexico in particular, the birthday celebrant's hands are tied behind their back and their face is smashed into the birthday cake for them to take the first bite. All around them, partygoers chant "¡Mordida!"[11]
- The word "mordida" means "bite." In this context, the chant from the party guests encourages the birthday celebrant to take the first bite of their birthday cake.
- Give symbolic gifts, if anything at all. Birthday gifts are typically not particularly elaborate or expensive, especially in Spain. Children always receive small presents, typically books, toys, and candy. Adults may not get any presents at all.[12]
- If you don't feel right going to a birthday party without a present, consider a gift such as a calendar, a mug, or a nice ink pen.
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Calculate Your Carbon Footprint Posted: 18 Sep 2021 09:00 AM PDT Calculating your carbon footprint can help you to identify ways that you can lessen your impact on the environment. Calculating your carbon footprint requires taking lots of different factors into account. You may not be able to get an exact figure to represent your carbon footprint, but you can get a close estimate. You can calculate some things, like your water usage and waste, using points, while others, like the impact of your car and utilities, can be calculated in tons of CO2 emissions. - Count the members of your household. If you live alone, then your carbon footprint will likely be higher than someone who lives in a house or apartment with other people. This is because you would be sharing the electricity, water, and fuel costs to keep your dwelling up and running.
- If you live alone, then add 14 points to your carbon footprint.
- If you share a house or apartment with 1 other person, then add 12 points.
- If you share a house or apartment with 2 other people, then add 10 points.
- If you share a house or apartment with 3 other people, then add 8 points.
- If you share a house or apartment with 4 other people, then add 6 points.
- If you share a house or apartment with 5 other people, then add 4 points.
- If you share a house or apartment with more than 5 other people, then add 2 points.
- Consider the size of your home. A smaller home makes a smaller impact on the environment. Take the size of your home into account as you calculate your impact.
- If you have a large house, then add 10 points to your score.
- If you have a medium-sized house, then add 7 points.
- If you have a small house, then add 4 points.
- If you live in an apartment, then add 2 points.
- Evaluate your food choices. The types of food that you eat can also have an effect on your carbon footprint. You will have a higher carbon footprint if you eat meat from domesticated animals regularly, and you will have a lower carbon footprint if you eat no meat or animal products at all.
- If you eat domestic meat on a daily basis, then add 10 points.
- If you eat domestic meat a few times per week, then add 8 points.
- If you are a vegetarian, then add 4 points.
- If you are a vegan or only eat wild meat, then add 2 points.
- You would also add 12 points if most of the food you eat is prepackaged convenience food, such as frozen pizza, cereal, and potato chips. If you have a good balance of fresh and convenience food, then just add 6 points. If you only eat fresh, locally grown, or hunted food, then add 2 points.
- Examine your water consumption. Your water consumption from appliances is also important to consider as you calculate your carbon footprint. Consider how many times per week you run your dishwasher and/or washing machine.
- If you run your dishwasher or washing machine more than 9 times per week, then add 3 points. If you run it 4 to 9 times, then add 2 points. If you run it 1 to 3 times, then add 1 point. If you don't have a dishwasher, then add nothing.
- If you have a dishwasher and a washing machine, then perform the calculation twice.
- Determine how many household purchases you make each year. The amount of new items that you buy for your household can also affect your carbon footprint. If you buy lots of new things, then your score will be higher than someone who does not buy anything or who only buys secondhand items.
- If you buy more than 7 new pieces of furniture, electronics, or other household gadgets per year, then add 10 points.
- If you purchase between 5 and 7 items, then give yourself 8 points.
- If you purchase between 3 and 5 items, then give yourself 6 points.
- If you purchase less than 3 items, then give yourself 4 points.
- If you purchase almost nothing or only secondhand items, then give yourself 2 points.
- Consider how much waste you produce. The more trash cans you fill each week, the larger your carbon footprint will be. Count up how many times you fill your garbage cans each week and then assign points based on these numbers.
- If you fill 4 garbage cans each week, then add 50 points.
- If you fill 3 garbage cans each week, then add 40 points.
- If you fill 2 garbage cans per week, then add 30 points.
- If you fill 1 garbage can per week, then add 20 points.
- If you fill half of a garbage can or less per week, then add 5 points.
- Identify the amount of waste that you recycle. If you do not recycle, then add 24 points to your score. However, if you do recycle, then start with 24 points and subtract 4 points for each type of item that you recycle. You can subtract four points for each of the following recycling categories:
- Glass
- Plastic
- Paper
- Aluminum
- Steel
- Food waste (composting)
- Tally up your annual transportation scores. You will also need to consider your travel, including how far you travel in a personal vehicle, how far you travel with public transportation, and how far you travel by plane for vacations.
- For your personal vehicle usage, add 12 points if you travel more than 15,000 miles per year. Add 10 points if you travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year. Add 6 points if you travel 1,000 to 10,000 miles per year. Add 4 points if you travel less than 1,000 miles per year. Add nothing if you don't have a car.
- For public transportation, add 12 points if you travel more than 20,000 miles per year. Add 10 points if you travel 15,000 to 20,000 miles per year. Add 6 points if you travel 10,000 to 15,000 miles per year. Add 4 points if you travel 1,000 to 10,000 miles per year. Add 2 points for less than 1,000 miles per year. Add nothing if you do not use public transportation.
- For flights, add 2 points if you only travel short distances in 1 year, such as within your state. Add 6 points if you travel further distances, such as to a nearby state or country. Add 20 points if you travel far, such as to another continent.
- Add up your points. After you have calculated your points for each category, add them up to get your carbon footprint score. The lower the score the better. If your score is less than 60 points, then you are making a small impact on your planet. If it is higher than 60, then you might want to look for some ways that you can reduce your impact.
- For instance, you can replace old appliances with energy-efficient ones, purchase items with less packaging, use public transportation or carpool, compost, and recycle.
[Edit]Calculating the Impact of Your Car and Utilities - Add 2 to 12 tons of CO2 emission if you own a car. Owning a car means that the car had to be manufactured and this adds to your carbon footprint. However, keep in mind that the total production footprint of your car is for the lifetime of your car. Therefore, the longer you drive it, the lower the impact will be over time. Start by adding between 5 and 12 tons of CO2 emissions depending on the size of your car.[1]
- If you have a hybrid or electric vehicle, add 2 tons of CO2 emissions.
- If you have a compact or economy-sized car, then add 5 tons of CO2 emissions.
- If you have a medium-sized car, such as a sedan, then add 9 tons of CO2 emissions.
- If you have a large vehicle, such as an SUV or truck, then add 12 tons of CO2 emissions.
- Find your total fuel usage. The amount that you drive your car each year can also have an effect on your carbon footprint. You will have a larger carbon footprint if you drive your car frequently. Check your vehicle's mileage and miles per gallon and then plug these into a simple equation.
- Use the equation: total miles driven / miles per gallon = total fuel usage.
- For example, 8,000 / 40 mpg = 200 gallons of fuel used
- Multiply your fuel gallons by a conversion factor. To convert the total gallons of fuel you have used driving your car into CO2 emission, you will need to multiply the total by a conversion factor of 22.
- Use the equation total fuel used X 22 = CO2 emission.
- For example, 200 gallons X 22 = 4400 pounds of CO2
- Check your monthly utility bills. Some utility companies will tell you what your carbon footprint was for the month. Check your utility bill to see if you can find this information. If not, then check your utility bills to find out what your usage was and plug the numbers into some simple equations to find out what your impact was.
- Multiply your kilowatt hours by 1.85. For example, 67 hrs X 1.85 = 123.95 lbs of CO2.
- Multiply your natural gas usage (therms) by 13.466. For example, 19 therms X 13.466 = 255.854 lbs of CO2.
- Multiply gallons or propane used by 13. For example, 3 gallons of propane X 13 = 39 lbs of CO2.
- Multiply gallons of fuel used by 22. For example 15 gallons of fuel X 22 = 330 lbs of fuel.
- Consider any offsets you have made. If you purchased any carbon offsets or did something to offset some of your carbon usage, then you can subtract the amount of carbon that you offset from your totals. For example, 1 tree can absorb a ton of carbon over its lifetime, so if you have a mid-sized sedan, then planting 9 trees could offset the production footprint of your car.[2]
- Check out non-profit groups that plant trees to help offset emissions. You can donate to have a tree planted and offset some of your emissions.
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| How to Form a Strong Bond in Your Relationship Posted: 18 Sep 2021 01:00 AM PDT The beginning of a relationship can be a lot of fun, but it's nothing compared to the deep connection and satisfaction that comes with a strong emotional bond with your partner. It's the key to a healthy and happy relationship and can help build trust and understanding between two people. The best part is there are things you can do to strengthen your bond. To help you do it, we've put together a handy list of options you can use to form and maintain a loving connection with your partner. [Edit]Commit to spending quality time together. - Set aside some time every day to reconnect with each other. It's so easy to get caught up in your busy day that face-to-face contact with your partner can be reduced to text messages and short phone calls. Make it a goal to take some time in the day to put away your phones, stop thinking about everything else you've got going on, and spend some time with your partner. It'll help reinforce your bond and remind each other how much you care for one another.[1]
- It could be something simple like a quiet dinner with no electronics or a relaxing movie or TV show that you watch together without distractions.
- You can also go out somewhere nice to eat or just take a stroll around your neighborhood. Quality time doesn't have to be complicated. All you need is each other!
[Edit]Try new things together. - Keep your quality time fun and interesting. Going to the same restaurant or movie theater for date night can eventually get dull and boring. Spice things up by doing something totally new like a dancing class or something classically romantic like a picnic in a field somewhere. Find new things that you can do together and give it a shot![2]
- You could also try to check out a new restaurant every date night or take turns choosing what you'll do together to keep it interesting.
[Edit]Share your thoughts and feelings with your partner. - Encourage honest communication and trust in your relationship. Talk to your partner about how you're feeling and what you're thinking about. Trust that what you tell them will stay just between the two of you so you can feel comfortable venting and talking through conflicts with each other.[3]
- Honest and open communication is a sign of a healthy relationship with a strong bond.
- For instance, if you're stressed out at work and your partner is also asking you to do something, you can say something like, "I'm under a lot of pressure at work right now and I'm feeling really stressed. I need you to understand that and be patient with me."
[Edit]Ask each other questions. - Get to know each other as well as you can to build your bond. No matter how long you've been together, you can always get to know your partner even more. Ask their opinions about things. Ask them how they feel. Ask them about work. Ask them about their childhood and their desires in life. The more you know about your partner (and the more they know about you), the stronger your bond will be.[4]
- You don't have to bombard your partner with questions, but try to take advantage of opportunities to get to know them even more. For instance, if you start talking about a book or a movie, try asking them when they saw it, what they thought about it, and whether or not they'd watch it again. You can learn a lot about each other just by asking simple questions.
[Edit]Tell your partner if there's something you need. - Allow them to provide comfort by helping them understand. Don't make your partner guess what's wrong with you or what you'd like them to do. Be clear and direct and tell them what it is that you need so you can avoid any potential resentment or misunderstanding. By the same token, ask your partner if there's something that they need if you get a sense that they're trying to hint at something.[5]
- For instance, if you need your partner to do something practical like clean up the living room, try just being direct and say something like, "Hey, can you pick up and vacuum the living room?"
- If something is bothering you emotionally, be clear about that, too. For example, you could say something like, "I'm feeling really down right now, can you make me some tea and sit with me, please?"
[Edit]Listen to your partner when they talk to you. - Put away any distractions and give them your full attention. Listening is a critical part of healthy communication. Whenever your partner is talking to you, look them straight in the eyes, listen to what they have to say, and avoid distractions like your phone. Even if you don't agree or love what they have to say, it's important that you show them that you care about them and you're interested in hearing their thoughts.[6]
- If your partner doesn't feel like you listen to them, they may feel less inclined to tell you about their thoughts and feelings or care to listen to yours.
[Edit]Express gratitude as often as you can. - Show your partner that you care and you appreciate them. Whenever your partner does something for you, tell them that you're thankful for it. Take every opportunity to express your gratitude to each other. It's a simple and effective way to strengthen your bond and improve your relationship.[7]
- For instance, if your partner makes dinner, thank them for it. If you bring them lunch or clean up the kitchen, they should be thankful for that, too.
- Research actually shows that expressing gratitude can improve the relationship for both people. It's science!
[Edit]Support each other at all times. - Let them know you have each other's backs. That doesn't mean you should try to solve all of your partner's problems. In fact, that can sometimes backfire and cause them to feel like you're criticizing them. Support just means that you let your partner know that you're on their side and that you're there to listen to them and help if you can. Just knowing you have your partner's support can make you feel better and build a stronger bond between you.[8]
- For instance, if your partner is having a conflict with someone in their family, you can say something like, "I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds super frustrating, but I'm here if you need me. Please let me know if there's something I can do to help."
[Edit]Talk through conflicts respectfully. - It's okay to disagree, but it's important to work through them effectively. If you and your partner find yourself in an argument, really try to listen to them and understand things from their perspective. Avoid making generalized or absolute statements about each other, such as "You always do this" or "You never do that." Try to talk to each other about how you're feeling and if you need to take a "time-out" to cool off, do it. You'll build a stronger bond by working through your issues together.[9]
- It's also helpful to stay focused on the issue at hand and avoid trying to bring up other problems from the past. It can only add to the negativity.
- Talk about how you feel without blaming your partner and use direct language so everyone is on the same page and no one is confused.
[Edit]Keep outside relationships alive and well. - It's impossible for one person to meet all of your needs. It's really not fair to expect it from your partner. Maintain healthy relationships with friends and family in addition to your romantic relationship. Make sure all of your emotional needs are being fulfilled and it'll help strengthen your relationship with your partner.[10]
- For example, you should still get together with your own friends and spend time with your family.
- That also means your partner should be able to have his own identity and relationships with friends and family as well.
[Edit]Maintain your own hobbies and interests. - It's important for both you and your partner. If there are things you enjoy doing outside of your relationship, keep doing them! Allow your partner to have their own hobbies and activities, too. If you're both happy and free to maintain your individual identities, it will only make your romantic relationship stronger.[11]
- If you or your partner feel like you can't do things you love to do, it can cause anger and resentment to build in your relationship.
- For instance, if you like to play video games and your partner likes to golf with their friends, allow each other the time and space to do the things you enjoy.
[Edit]Try couple's therapy to strengthen your bond. - You don't have to wait until you're having problems, either. Couple's therapy doesn't mean you've failed. A trained professional can give you and your partner the tools to build a stronger bond and work toward a happier, healthier relationship. Look for licensed counselors, therapists, or psychologists in your area and schedule an appointment if you think it'll be helpful.[12]
- Try to check in with your partner regularly to see how they're doing. Let them know they can talk to you if they're feeling unhappy.
- You can also try going on group dates to mix things up!
[Edit]Warnings - If you're in a physically or emotionally abusive relationship, try to get out of it as fast as you can. Nobody deserves to be mistreated or physically harmed.
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