Birthday vs birthday

[Winnie1122]

If someone writes 'I’ve bought a present for my brother' and you ask 'Is it his Birthday?', would you capitalise 'Birthday' or not?
I've seen it both ways and wonder what looks more natural to native speakers and if there is a difference between 'Is it his birthday' and 'Is it his Birthday?'"

 

[5jj]

if there is a difference between 'Is it his birthday' and 'Is it his Birthday?'"

Only the first is correct.

 

[jutfrank]

When you say you've seen it both ways, I guess you're talking about the way we use capital letters for the greeting:

Happy Birthday!

 

[Tarheel]

I guess I've been doing it wrong.

 

[emsr2d2]

If someone writes 'I’ve bought a present for my brother' and you ask 'Is it his Birthday?', would you capitalise 'Birthday' or not?

No. The word "birthday" in a sentence like that should not be capitalised. It's not a proper noun. In greetings cards and birthday messages, we sometimes write "Happy Birthday". Similarly, we might write "Happy Anniversary!" and "Happy New Year!"

I've seen it both ways and wonder what looks more natural to native speakers and if there is a difference between 'Is it his birthday?' and 'Is it his Birthday?'

The difference is that the second one is wrong.

 

[Skrej]

You would of course capitalize it if it were somehow the first word in a sentence, although that's an unlikely scenario.

 

[emsr2d2]

You would of course capitalize it if it were somehow the first word in a sentence, although that's an unlikely scenario.

Not that unlikely!

Birthday parties are fun.
Birthday presents are hard to buy.
Birthdays and anniversaries are marked in red on my calendar.

 

[markk]

If someone writes 'I’ve bought a present for my brother' and you ask 'Is it his Birthday?', would you capitalise 'Birthday' or not?
I've seen it both ways and wonder what looks more natural to native speakers and if there is a difference between 'Is it his birthday' and 'Is it his Birthday?'"

This is a useful language question because capitalization can subtly change how natural a sentence feels. I recently adapted a traditional blessing for a family birthday and it felt sincere. In normal English usage, "birthday" is usually lowercase, and expressions like happy birthday wishes in marathi also tend to look more natural without unnecessary capitalization.