Grammar Help Needed: Is "We All Wishes You Happy Birthday" a Big Mistake?

Seniors, please tell me, what is wrong with the sentence if I write 'We all wishes you Happy Birthday' instead of 'we all wish you happy birthday'? How big of a mistake is it grammatically? Please help me to come out of this confusion.

Thanks

As the layman always said, "keep it simple"... Most companies keep birthday cards with a simple message, "Happy Birthday," along with the company logo and signed off by the group HR head. The sentence you mentioned is grammatically incorrect.

Regards,
Dhiraj

Thank you, Pon. You made my day by saying, "Both the sentences are acceptable." I was very conscious since yesterday...

Thanks a lot.

Don't lose focus. The objective behind sending these lines was to wish somebody, not to show that you fully understand grammar.

Thank you!

"Hi Ravitashukla1, \"We all wish you a Happy Birthday\" sends across a message as if you are just conveying the birthday wish. Whereas \"We all wish you a happy birthday\" sends across the same message; however, it includes the conveyor (i.e., in this scene, you) too in the group of other people who are wishing.

Thanks & Regards,
Rahul

Hi, I think the focus here should be the fact that you sent out the birthday wishes. English grammar is not always easy... and I am English 

Seniors, please tell me, what is wrong with the sentence if I write 'We all wish you Happy Birthday' instead of 'we all wish you happy birthday'? How big of a grammatical mistake is it? Please help me understand this confusion. Thanks

It is a mistake in the plural form of wish. It is similar to:
- "Fish" is the correct form, and "Fishes" is incorrect.
- "Hair" is the correct form, and "Hairs" is incorrect.

It is like:
1. Main "Hindustani" hun - singular form
2. Hum sab "Hindustani" hain - Plural form
3. राम "राम" बहुत हैं | - Singular
4. राम राम बहुत हैं | - Plural

I think this explanation should be sufficient for understanding.

The sentence definitely has a grammatical mistake. Since it's a well-meant, sincere wish, I am sure nobody will look down on you for the error. However, please check with other senior members of your faculty or company to avoid making another grammatical error next time. It might not look good for the Human Resources image. No hard feelings, friend. Have a blessed day.

Let us not confuse issues. It is important that the message is conveyed, OK. But it is also important that we write correctly. There is nothing wrong in learning to write correctly.

Correct Usage of "Wish"

The sentence "We all wishes you a happy birthday" is grammatically incorrect. The grammatically correct forms are as follows: I wish. You wish. We wish. He wishes. She wishes. Mr. X wishes. Mrs. Y wishes. Mr. & Mrs. X wish.

Message is indeed important. Conveying it correctly adds value to it.

Understanding Grammar Rules for Person and Verb Agreement

Please have a look at the grammar rules. According to grammar rules, we can't use "s" and "es" with the 1st and 2nd person. "S" or "es" should be used with the 3rd person only.

So, "We all wish you a happy birthday" is the correct one because "we" represents the 1st person.

"We all wishes you a Happy Birthday" is wrong because "es" is used with "wish." It should be "wish" only. If you are using "es" with "wish," then the sentence will be "They all wishes you a Happy Birthday."

For example: I want, You want, He wants. See the difference? Here, we added "s" with the 3rd person only.

Regards

Though the first one is grammatically incorrect, in communication, I always believe that it must be assessed in the light of Context, Intent, and Content (CIC). Here, the context was a birthday, the intent was to wish your friend, and the content was your feelings in the form of best wishes. So your communication is perfect; no need to worry.

Buddy, I do agree that it's a matter of feelings. But the question is, how is the sentence wrong? So, we have to correct the sentence. Being an HR professional, we should be a COACH as well as a MENTOR.

Message cannot be more important than the method or the language. It is foolish to send such incorrect messages.

This is the present indefinite tense. In such tenses, "s" or "es" is suffixed with the verb when the subject is the third person. Grammatically, your sentence should be: "We all wish you a happy birthday."

See another example: "He wishes you a happy birthday." This is correct because the subject "he" is the third person.

As advised by other learned professionals in this thread, it is better to keep things/messages short and simple to avoid grammar jargon.

Thanks and Regards, Lokender

"Wishes" can be expressed as "The organization wishes you," "Company wishes you," "We wish you," "All of us wish you," etc. Very simple.

Thanks and regards,
Aspirations.

As per correct grammar in the simple present tense, if the subject is "He," "she," or "it," then "does" + verb (here - "wishes") is used. But if the subject is "I," "we," or "they" (you can be both plural and singular), then "do" + verb (here - "wish" + "do" = "wish") is used. So the real mistake is that since the subject is "we," you need to use "wish."

Hope you are convinced.

Regards,
Joseph.P.M

There is a grammatical mistake. Since you are addressing only one wish, the correct sentence is: "We all wish you a Happy Birthday."

For multiple greetings (though I have never heard of such a thing), you could say, "We all wish you a Happy Birthday and a Happy New Year!" (If the birthday falls on New Year's Day!)

Make sense!

When a third person singular subject is used, then only "wishes" should be used; for plural, "wish" is the correct form grammatically.

Clarification on Birthday Wishes Grammar

"We all wish you a happy birthday" is correct grammatically as "we" is plural. In the third person singular, we have to write "wishes".

"We all wishes you Happy Birthday" is incorrect because the subject in this sentence, 'We,' is plural. Therefore, the verb needs to be plural as well, and 'wishes' is a singular verb. It should ideally be "We all wish you a happy birthday."

Although it is grammatically incorrect, such greetings should be viewed in the context of the situation, the people involved, and the manner in which it is expressed. It is not a serious error, as one can easily overlook such minor mistakes on such occasions. Happy birthday. However, please strive to avoid such mistakes in the future.

Regards,
V. Rangarajan.

Yes, both are acceptable; however, grammatically, you are wrong. Sorry to say this. But where's the problem? Just say sorry and thanks to the person who corrected you and tell him/her that from next time, you will take care of this. That's all. We should not feel ashamed in apologizing. It's good that your own company friends/seniors have corrected you, not any outsider.

Understanding Singular and Plural Usage in English

If you are too strict in English, then you have to consider "all" as singular. You know the line "All is well." The rule is simple: use "s/es" with the 3rd person singular number.

You can write the sentence as follows:
We all wish you a happy birthday.
We wish you a happy birthday.

Regards,

Agreed that the message is important, but saying that both sentences are perfect would be wrong because the first one is grammatically incorrect. Keeping it simple would be a better thing to do. Just say "Happy Birthday."

Mistake in Birthday Wish Thread Topic Post

Seniors, please tell me what is wrong with the sentence if I write "We all wish you Happy Birthday" instead of "we all wish you happy birthday." How big of a grammatical mistake is it? Please help me to come out of this confusion.

Thanks

Your behavior is a reflection of what you truly believe.

Dear Mr. Ravi, you have written "wishes." According to grammar, it should be "wish."

Regards

Both sentences are incorrect. It could be quoted as "Wishing you a lovely Birthday" or "Many Many Happy Returns of the Day" or a simple "Happy Birthday," and we could write below on behalf of the company's name.

Importance of Grammar Precision

It is very important to be precise in grammar in today's world. The point is not to discourage you, but it is always good to learn.

The message is important, but it is better to practice good English. The subject "WE" is plural, so "We wish you a happy birthday" is the correct sentence. You can use "wishes" when you use a singular subject (I is an exception), for example: "Sheela wishes."

I agree with Sridhar's reply. It is important to convey your wishes, but not necessarily in a grammatically perfect sentence. People should understand the warmth of your wish, not the correctness of the sentences or words. Stop worrying about such things and people because they can't add anything to you or to themselves.

Regards,
Vijay

Understanding the Use of "Wish" and "Wishes"

The word "wishes" is used for a singular person, while the word "wish" is used for plural.

Regards,
Shruti Sharma

It is not about how the person receives the message, but it is very important to follow grammar while framing sentences. It can be a two-word message or a 100-page message.

I strongly believe that grammar plays an important role in any of the emails sent by HR. An HR professional has to ensure that the emails sent out to the whole company are correct in all aspects, as we don't want anyone making fun of such emails.

Coming to Your Sentences

"We all wishes you Happy Birthday" - WRONG, you are not supposed to use plural.

"We all wish you happy birthday." - RIGHT

Regards,

Correct Usage of "We" in Birthday Wishes

We all wish you a happy birthday instead of "we all wish you happy birthday." The second one sounds better. When one uses "we," it means all, so you should avoid using "all" there. The correct phrasing would be "We wish you a happy birthday" or "Wishing you a happy birthday." However, these days, grammar is not often considered in wishes, as it is more about expressing feelings than adhering to grammatical rules.

Regards

Yes, there was a mistake in the sentence. But why feel embarrassed? Everyone makes mistakes—some knowingly or unknowingly. Just make sure the same mistake doesn't repeat. I mean, learn from it sportingly. Relax.

In response to your question "We all wishes you Happy Birthday," "We all" itself is plural, so there is no need to attach a plural with "wish." The correct sentence is "We all wish you Happy Birthday."

It is a grammatical error, no doubt, but we can't determine whether it's big or small. In the corporate world, some people like to make a hue and cry over small issues. So just ignore it and keep doing good work.

Warm Regards,
Ruchi
Sr. HR Executive

The Importance of Correct Grammar in Simple Messages

We all wish you a happy birthday instead of "we all wishes you Happy Birthday." The message is more important than grammar. But why indicate that one is poor in language, especially for such simple English? You can even write "BIRTHDAY WISHES FROM ALL OF US"!

Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs.

Dear All,

In my opinion, making grammatical mistakes when wishing is not acceptable. It shows a lack of preparedness. Someone who is very grammatically sound will definitely take this matter seriously. However, we should always use correct grammar, and there is no harm in doing so.

Regards,
ArthG

Dear Seniors, Thanks to all for your suggestions, corrections, and explanations. Please suggest some good books on grammar. I know my spoken English is good, but I still need to work on grammar.

Thanks,
Ravitashukla

Though "we" is plural, the verb will always be in singular form. Hence, we wish you a very happy birthday.

Similarly, we never say "I wishes you happy birthday"...instead, we say "I wish you a very happy birthday," or a simple birthday wish would also suffice.

It's up to you to decide whether the two sentences you quoted would really be appropriate. The first sentence clearly indicates your poor command over the language, whereas the second sentence indicates a good command over the language. So, what would you like to portray?

You can say, "All our best wishes to you on your birthday!" or "We all wish you a happy birthday!"

You can say, "All our best wishes to you on your birthday!" or "We all wish you a happy birthday!"

OR

"May this day bring in more happiness to you and many more happy returns of the day!"

I think the first sentence is grammatically incorrect. However, that does not matter. In everyday life, we should not be too accurate; sometimes we have to be informal as well.

Thanks,
Chaks K