SAUDADE
Learn more about the Portuguese untranslatable word
MEANING
If you are a Portuguese language student or enthusiast, you have
probably come across saudade at
some point. Known as an untranslatable word, the term expresses a
feeling that is much more than simply missing something or someone.
Defined by the Portuguese Language Magazine as
“the pain of the absence that we take pleasure in
feeling”, saudade is a key word for all native speakers, although it
represents multiple shades of emotion in different places or periods
in history.
A combination of feelings such as nostalgia, pain, melancholy and
solitude, the origin of saudade could trace back to some terms in
other languages, like solitate in Latin and
sawdā in Arabic. Its popular usage dates back to the 15th
century, to express the distance and loss suffered by the families
of the men who left the country during the era of Portuguese
discoveries. Later, in the beginning of the 20th century, literary
personalities coined the “Saudosismo” nationalist movement, which
longed for the return of Portugal’s cultural splendor.
However, in Brazil, which was a Portuguese colony for over 200
years, saudade inherited the happy and optimistic trait of the local
culture, being also used as a joyous sentiment in numerous literary
and musical works. Even though the word expresses pain and longing
for what is not there anymore, saudade is a reminder of the good
that anticipated the nostalgia, bringing some kind of pleasure to
the “dark” feeling. As a popular saying states, “it’s good to have
saudades”.
Popular phrases
- “Estou com saudades de você.”
- “Sinto muita saudade desse lugar.”
- “Quero te ver para matar as saudades!"
- “Estou morrendo de saudades de casa.”
How to use it?
As a Brazilian and native Portuguese speaker myself, I can tell you
that you’re allowed to feel saudades of anything, anyone or any
place! The word can be used to express how you feel about a
childhood memory, a partner who is out of town or a meal you had in
a small village you visited on your last summer trip.
You can even feel saudades for something that never happened. Yes,
that’s right! Neymar Jr., renowned Brazilian soccer player, once
said “saudades do que a gente não viveu ainda”, which means
“saudades of what we haven’t lived yet”.
What’s important to know when using saudades is that it’s an
independent term that can be used alone in an interjection, like
“Saudades!”, or a sigh, like “Saudades…”. It can also be paired with
other terms to maximize the feeling, such as “morrendo de saudades”,
which means “dying of saudades”.
Finally, imagine you are “dying of saudades” because you haven’t
seen your long distance partner in a few months. What would you do
to the feeling when you get to finally see them? Kill it! “Matar as
saudades” or “kill the saudades” is also commonly used by native
speakers to express that the longing is over at last.
Learn more
Saudade in music
Send a message
Now that you have learned more about one of the most meaningful words in the Portuguese language, generate your own "Saudades" message and send it to someone you miss!
Coded by Camila Iglesias Fontoura