 English vocabulary words for birthdays from espressoenglish.net A person's birthday is the date when they were born. In English, we use the word anniversary for the date of a marriage or other important event. To say your age in English, use I am, not I have. For example, I'm 30 years old. Don't say I have 30 years. The verb turn is used to describe a change in age on your birthday. For example, I turned 45 last week. My son is turning 16 tomorrow. In English, we say that kids grow up. When a kid reaches 18 years old, considered the age of adult responsibility, he or she is coming of age. Adults don't grow up. Adults get older. An adult who has passed middle age, around 40 to 50 years old, is getting on in years. But if an older adult has a lively, energetic spirit, then they are young at heart. In English, we say happy birthday, not congratulations. Another phrase you can say to someone who's having a birthday is, are you doing anything special to celebrate? A really big and fun birthday party with lots of people can be called a birthday bash. Other people prefer a low-key get-together. That's a relaxed, casual meeting of friends and family. At birthday parties, you'll find balloons and, of course, a birthday cake with frosting or icing and sprinkles. The cake in the picture has chocolate frosting and colored sprinkles. It's traditional for the birthday boy or birthday girl to blow out the candles. Some people make a wish when they do this. Other people often give the person gifts or presents covered with wrapping paper. If you're not sure what to give somebody, you can buy a gift certificate or gift card that will allow the person to buy whatever they want at a certain store or restaurant. Today is my birthday. I'm 30 years old, and you can help me celebrate. I would love to include your comments on the Espresso English website. So if you enjoy my lessons, please email me your first name, country, photo, and three or four sentences about how Espresso English has helped you. You can send me this information at help at espressoenglish.net. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for watching!