Happy new year
A slightly more formal and traditional wish for a 'Prosperous New Year'. Often heard in songs and written on cards.
A shorter, more casual version, like saying 'Happy New Year!'. Very common in conversation.
Means 'Congratulations on the new year!'. A warm and slightly more elaborate greeting.
Happy New Year to all of you!
Friend, I wish you a prosperous New Year.
Happy New Year, family! Ready to celebrate?
The president wished the country a Happy New Year.
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! is the universal standard across all of Latin America. The shorter ¡Feliz Año! is also very common in casual speech.
The phrase is the same: ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!. The main difference is in surrounding sentences, where Spaniards use 'vosotros' (e.g., 'Os deseo un feliz año nuevo') instead of the Latin American 'ustedes' ('Les deseo...').
While ¡Feliz Año Nuevo! is used, the shortened version ¡Feliz Año! is extremely common in everyday conversation right after midnight.
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! is standard. It's also common to hear ¡Felicidades!, meaning 'Congratulations!', used as a general celebratory greeting right at midnight.
Saying 'Feliz Nuevo Año'. — In Spanish, 'Año Nuevo' is a fixed phrase, just like 'New Year' in English. The adjective 'nuevo' (new) must come after the noun 'año' (year). The correct order is always 'Feliz Año Nuevo'.
Writing 'Feliz Ano Nuevo' (without the ~). — This is a very important and common mistake. The letter 'ñ' (called 'eñe') is critical. 'Año' with the tilde (~) means 'year'. 'Ano' without it means 'anus'. Always use the 'ñ'.
Using 'contento' instead of 'feliz'. — While both words can mean 'happy', 'feliz' is used for holiday and special occasion greetings. It's always 'Feliz Navidad', 'Feliz Cumpleaños', and 'Feliz Año Nuevo'. 'Contento' describes a more temporary state of contentment.
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