How to say happy birthday in a posh way

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Why do you want to say happy birthday in a posh way?
• You want to make fun of someone for being posh
• You want to seriously wish someone a happy birthday and sound as posh as possible
• You just want to have a laugh with your friends
• What makes something sound 'posh'?
• Is it the words, the way they're spoken, or both?
• Some examples of posh birthday wishes

Overview

The easiest way is to use some classic words that are associated with stereotypical posh people, such as 'one'. For example, 'I wish one a delightful birthday'. If you want to go further you can try using more unusual words like 'may one be blessed with a delightfully pleasing celebratory experience on this auspicious day'. The most important thing though is to get the tone right and speak in a silly way. I recommend that you listen to some examples either in films or on YouTube so you can get the idea of how it should sound.

Why do you want to say happy birthday in a posh way?

This is an interesting question because it's the sort of thing that people don't generally do, and if they do it's probably as part of a joke. I think there are two possibilities here:

• You want to make fun of someone for being posh
• You want to seriously wish someone a happy birthday and sound as posh as possible

I'm guessing it's the former but let's look at both.

You want to make fun of someone for being posh

This is the more likely scenario. If you're not used to being around posh people it can feel weird when you are, especially if it's just one person in your group who speaks like that. It's so different from what we're used to that it feels out of place and therefore makes us feel uncomfortable.

I know that's how I feel when it happens and I know many others who've said the same thing.

I think this is why we often feel compelled to poke fun at them, whether it's by trying to copy their voice or simply talking about it with others.

So if you're trying to make fun of someone for being posh then that's ok I think, but just try not to make them feel too bad about it. Although they might seem all confident and self-assured, they're probably not, at least not any more than you are.

You want to seriously wish someone a happy birthday and sound as posh as possible

Although this seems unlikely, maybe you're reading this because you've been invited by someone posh and want to fit in with their friends. In my experience this usually isn't necessary but I suppose it depends on who they are.

You just want to have a laugh with your friends

This is actually far more likely now that I think about it. It doesn't really matter how your friend speaks; saying something in a silly voice is always funny so why wouldn't you?

What makes something sound 'posh'?

This is an interesting question and something that I've thought about quite a lot over the years. It's weird because we all know whether someone sounds posh or not but it's hard to actually define what makes them sound like that.

Is it the words, the way they're spoken, or both?

I think it's both really. We all know what sort of words are associated with people who speak like this; things like 'one', 'delightful', 'simply', 'astonishing' etc. But it's also very much about how we say them.

This may be different where you live but in England where I'm based, the classic posh-sounding person has a very slow and deliberate way of speaking which sounds almost other-worldly. They tend to pronounce every word very clearly without running them together like most of us do.

Some examples of posh birthday wishes

The best way I can help here is by giving some examples; I'll just list them below.

• 'One wishes oneself an enjoyable celebration.'
• 'May one bless oneself with an experience one finds satisfying.'
• 'I do hope one has an adequate time.'
• 'Please do enjoy oneself.'
• 'Do take care not too eat too much cake; one does need one's rest.'
• 'Do take care not too eat too much cake; one does need one's rest.'