Quick answers:
Spanish: ¡Feliz Año Nuevo!
French: Bonne année !
German: Gutes neues Jahr!
However, you have more options...
In Spain
The following greetings are also used (plus literal translations)
¡Feliz Año! - Happy Year!
¡Próspero Año Nuevo! - Prosperous New Year!
¡Muchas felicidades! - Many happinesses
¡Feliz 2021! (dos mil veintiuno) - Happy 2021!
Some English speakers baulk at the term “Happy holidays” as if it is political correctness gone mad, but given that the New Year occurs around the same time as many other holidays around the world, it is a reasonable catch-all greeting, and the equivalent works in Spanish: ¡Felices fiestas!
Any offers for why the –z in feliz has become a –c- in felices?
Look at the following examples to see some how these phrases can be used in dialogue:
¡Feliz Año Nuevo, amigos!
- Te deseo lo mismo.
Happy New Year, my friends!
- I wish you the same.
¡Próspero Año Nuevo!
- ¡Feliz Año nuevo para ti también!
Prosperous New Year!
- Happy New Year to you, too!
¡Muchas felicidades en año nuevo!
- ¡Gracias! Ojalá estuvieras aquí.
Best wishes for the new year!
- Thanks! I wish you were here.
¡Feliz 2021!
-¡A ti! Que tengas un próspero año y felicidad.
Happy 2021! - You too! I hope you have a happy and prosperous new year.
In France:
Bonnes fêtes de fin d'année ! - Happy Holidays!
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année ! - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année de la part de… - Season's greetings from…
Vœux de Bonheur pour un Joyeux Noël - Wishes of Happiness for a Merry Christmas
Je vous souhaite d’excellentes fêtes, et bonne année - I wish you happy holidays, and happy new year
Passez un Joyeux Noël en famille - Have a Merry Christmas with the family
Bonne année et bonne santé - Happy New Year and good health
Que l’année 2021 vous procure bonheur, santé et prospérité - May 2021 bring you happiness, health and prosperity.
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland
How to wish someone a happy New Year in the German language depends on where you are.
"Frohes Neues Jahr" - often abbreviated to “Frohes neues!”
Literally “Happy New Year”, often said in northern and north-western Germany
"Prosit Neujahr"
Used in randomly scattered areas of Germany and Austria: Hamburg, Saxony, Mannheim, Vienna...
Prosit is one of the many words for “Cheers!” in German. You might know “Prost!” which is a derivation.
Look at how Neujahr has become a compound noun
"Gesundes Neues Jahr"
Also shortened to Gesundes neues
“Healthy new year”
This is most common in the Eastern regions of Germany, especially around Dresden and Nuremberg
Gutes neues Jahr - shortened to Gutes neues.
“Good new year.” You can’t really go wrong with this one. It is used most prevalently in Switzerland and in the south and south-western German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg
Other widely used greetings in German-speaking regions:
Alles Gute zum neuen Jahr! - Best wishes for the new year!
Einen guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr! - A good start in the new year! (literally: a good slide...)
Ein glückliches neues Jahr! - Happy New Year!
Glück und Erfolg im neuen Jahr! - Good fortune and success in the new year!
Zum neuen Jahr Gesundheit, Glück und viel Erfolg! - Health, happiness, and much success in the new year!
Wishing someone a happy new year seems more loaded and heartfelt than ever this year, after the events of the last twelve months. I would like to thank anyone and everyone who has been associated with SameSky activities, whether that means signing up to a language class, participating in QUILTs, or being generally supportive in other ways. The sliver lining to this recent dark cloud is that we have found other ways to develop friendships and collaborations. I'm sure, however, that we all look forward to the day - and it will come - when we are able to emerge out of our own homes and meet up again. We will be ready with a full programme of events to offer: not just lessons, but meetings, excursions and even foreign-language-learning holidays. Until then, stay safe, and get studying!
Andrew Wenger, 30th December 2020