# Sto lat



## NotNow

Is it appropriate to wish a child under the age of 10 Sto lat! Wszystkiego najlepszego! on her birthday?  It seems strange that a child would comprehend a century of living.  Is there a more suitable saying?


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## zaffy

Yes, you wouldn't say this to a child. You might say things like, 'dużo zdrowia', 'życzę ci byś był/była grzeczny/a  i słuchał/a rodziców', 'samych piątek w szkole'


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## grassy

NotNow said:


> Is it appropriate to wish a child under the age of 10 Sto lat! Wszystkiego najlepszego! on her birthday?



Yes, that's perfectly fine.


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## jasio

I have an impression that nowadays  'sto lat ' is more a part of a popular birthday song than actual greetings. You did not provide any more details about the child and the said party, so it's difficult to say, actually. If you're distant from him/her, it may be ok. If you're close (like a family member, parents' friend or a neighbour and you personally know the child, I would probably expect more personal greetings (can be in English if the child understands it, or someone could translate for you) and then add both phrases at the end. "Wszystkiego Najlepszego" - whether with "sto lat" or not, is a good termination under all circumstances. 

If you're distant, you actually don't know the child personally and you're coming exclusively for the parents' sake - your two phrases would do. 

Personally, I would say something a bit over minimal standard anyway, perhaps 'i wish you that you eventually become a strong, wise, and brave man.' "Życzę ci, żebyś wyrósł na silnego, mądrego i odważnego mężczyznę".


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## NotNow

jasio said:


> Personally, I would say something a bit over minimal standard anyway, perhaps 'i wish you that you eventually become a strong, wise, and brave man.' "Życzę ci, żebyś wyrósł na silnego, mądrego i odważnego mężczyznę".



She's a young cousin whom I know well.  Is there something more feminine?


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## jasio

NotNow said:


> She's a young cousin whom I know well. Is there something more feminine?


Without knowing her, I would probably say "Życzę Ci, żebyś wyrosła na *silną*, _piękną_ i mądrą kobietę" ('I wish you to become a *strong*, _beautiful_ and wise woman' - if she won't take it a bit sexist (some women appreciate mentioning beauty, some of them seem to hate it). Key words are marked for your conveniece so that you can select or reorder them to your preference. But since you know her well, you know better than me, what you would like to wish her. ;-)


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## NotNow

Thanks, jasio.  Could I possibly change it to "Życzę Ci, żebyś wyrosła *silniejsza*, _piękniejsza_ i mądriejsza" to make it less sexist?

Thanks again.


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## jasio

NotNow said:


> Could I possibly change it to "Życzę Ci, żebyś wyrosła _*jeszcze*_ *silniejsza*, _piękniejsza_ i mądr*z*ejsza" to make it less sexist?


The alleged sexism of the phrase lies in referring to the beauty rather than in anything else and using comparative forms does not change that. And it's not a joke, I had a case myself when a client complained to my boss because I had referred to her and to her coworkers as beatuiful women. :-/ 

Unlike English, where comparative may actually convey an absolute meaning, in Polish comparative is what it's called and it needs something to compare with (which can be implied, if it's not stated explicitly or provided by the context). Consequently, is a bit risky, because naturally it  brings a comparison to a current situation. With two corrections (one of them being purely orthographic) your phrase conveys an additional meaning that she's already strong, beatuiful and wise, and you wish her to posess these virtues to an even greater degree - which is ok if your cousin has her self-esteem in these areas high enough to accept this implied meaning. The tricky part is, the version without "jeszcze" ('even') could actually be understood that you see her weak, ugly and stupid and you wish her to become (at least) normal - especially if she has issues in these areas. It's more a homemade psychology than a language issue though. However this is one of the reasons, I always add "mężczyznę / kobietę" ('man / woman') and use basic forms of adjectives to make sure that I'm referring to a distant future rather than to an existing situation.


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## NotNow

She's already strong, beautiful, and wise, and her self-esteem is very healthy, so this might work.

Thanks again.


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## jasio

NotNow said:


> She's already strong, beautiful, and wise, and her self-esteem is very healthy, so this might work.


Good for her. Pass my Happy Birthday wishes as well.


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## sunnyweather

NotNow said:


> Thanks, jasio.  Could I possibly change it to "Życzę Ci, żebyś wyrosła *silniejsza*, _piękniejsza_ i mądriejsza" to make it less sexist?
> 
> 
> Thanks again.



First of all:

mądrzejsza - OK
mądriejsza - wrong

I wouldn't use just the comparative forms the way you used them as that might be interpreted as something like she isn't too strong beautiful or wise now. So I'd avoid using that if you didn't want to lower the girl's self-esteem, hurt her feelings or make her start asking questions like that: Is there something wrong with me then? Am I not beautiful or wise enough?

However, you might say: "Życzę Ci, żebyś stała się *jeszcze *silniejsza, piękniejsza i mądrzejsza.' This 'jeszcze' = 'even more' says that she is already strong, beautiful and wise. That might sound a little bit like flattery though.

I'd probably say something like that: Z okazji Twojego święta życzę Ci wszystkiego najlepszego, dużo wspaniałych przyjaciół i tego, byś każdego dnia mogła stawać się coraz lepszą i szczęśliwszą dziewczynką. 'On your special day I wish you all the best, lots of great friends and may you become an even better and happier girl every day.'


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