Across the globe, the concept of independence holds a significant place in the historical narratives of numerous nations. Whether it is the 4th of July in the United States, Bastille Day in France, or La Festa della Repubblica in Italy, these national holidays provide a collective opportunity for citizens to reflect upon their shared history, honour the struggles of their forbearers, and celebrate the hard-won sovereignty that defines their nationhood.
If you are an Italian American who plans to celebrate Independence Day whilst paying homage to your Italian roots, you can express your wishes to friends and family by saying “Happy Independence Day!” in Italian.
Here is how it’s done:
Felice giorno dell’Indipendenza!
Happy Independence Day!
Felice is one way to translate the adjective happy into Italian, with the other being contento. Although they tend to be used interchangeably in everyday Italian, felice is closer in nature to joyful whereas contento expresses content or satisfaction. In this specific greeting however, only felice can be used.
Giorno means day in Italian, whereas dell’ is an articulated preposition, or in other words, the combination of the preposition di (of) and the definite article il (the). Indipendenza is quite simply independence, if you hadn’t already guessed!
An alternative greeting you can use is:
Buona festa dell’Indipendenza!
Happy Independence Day!
Buona Festa, which literally means “good celebration”, is used in numerous celebratory greetings including:
- Buona Festa della Repubblica! = Happy Republic Day!
- Buona Festa di San Valentino! = Happy St. Valentine’s Day!
- Buona Festa della Mamma / del Papà! = Happy Mother’s / Father’s Day!
How to Say “Happy 4th of July” in Italian
Yet another way of wishing someone a happy Independence Day is to use the alternative phrase “Happy 4th of July”. This would translate in the following manner:
Buon 4 luglio!
Happy 4th of July!
The number four in Italian is pronounced quattro. You can learn all the Italian numbers up to 100 by visiting our dedicated article here.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
