What does saudade mean in English?

Saudade is a feeling of missing or longing for someone or something absent. Depending on the context, English translations include longing, yearning, homesickness or nostalgia. Estou com saudade de você means I miss you.

How do you pronounce saudade?

An approximate cue for many Brazilian accents is sow-DAH-jee, with the first syllable rhyming with how and stress on DA. The final d can sound like the j in jeep when followed by an ee-like vowel, but this varies by accent. The cue is not a phonetic transcription.

How can I use saudade in a sentence?

Useful patterns include estar com saudade de and sentir saudade de: Estou com saudade de você (I miss you) and Sinto saudade do Brasil (I miss Brazil). Saudade is a noun; the whole expression conveys the meaning of missing someone or something.

Is saudade really untranslatable?

No. Dictionaries provide English translations, and sentences can be translated naturally. The best choice depends on what is being missed: I miss you, longing for someone, or homesickness can fit different situations. No single English expression has to fit every use.

What is the plural of saudade?

The plural is saudades. Both singular and plural occur in expressions of missing someone: Estou com saudade de você and Estou com saudades de você. Dictionaries also record the plural for affectionate greetings or remembrances.

Is saudade only Brazilian?

No. Saudade is used in Brazilian and European Portuguese. You can learn Brazilian examples without treating the word as exclusive to Brazil or assuming speakers in one country use it more often.

Saudade Meaning in English: Pronunciation & Portuguese Examples

What saudade means

Saudade is a feminine noun: a saudade. It can describe missing a person, remembering a past experience or longing for a place. The feeling may be affectionate, nostalgic or painful; it is not limited to romantic relationships.

The Michaelis Brazilian Portuguese dictionary connects the word with memories of someone or something absent. Its Portuguese–English entry supplies translations including longing, yearning, homesickness and nostalgia. Choose a translation for the sentence, rather than insisting that English cannot express the feeling.

How to pronounce saudade

For many Brazilian accents, an approximate English cue is sow-DAH-jee. Here, sow rhymes with how; it does not mean the pronunciation of the verb in “sow seeds.”

sau-: glide from an a-like sound toward a u-like sound in one syllable.
-da-: stress this middle syllable. Think sau-DA-de.
-de: in accents that use this sound change, it can sound approximately like “jee.” Other speakers retain a d-like sound.

This spelling-based cue is approximate. The University of Texas Tá Falado lesson on palatalization explains the d/t sound change and explicitly notes that not all Brazilian dialects use it. Its recordings illustrate the pronunciation pattern, rather than providing a recording of the word saudade.

Saudade in everyday sentences

Two useful starting patterns are estar com saudade de and sentir saudade de. Use them to say who or what you miss.

Portuguese	Natural English	Context
Estou com saudade de você.	I miss you.	Someone you want to see again.
Tô com saudade!	I miss you! / I miss it!	Informal; the person or thing is understood from context.
Sinto saudade do Brasil.	I miss Brazil.	Talking about a place.
Que saudade!	Oh, how I miss that!	A photo or memory brings the feeling back.
Estou morrendo de saudade de você.	I miss you so much.	Figurative emphasis, not a literal statement.
Essa viagem deixou saudade.	I miss that trip.	Remembering a trip after it ends.
Vamos matar a saudade!	Let's get together again!	A reunion to satisfy the longing.

Use de before the person or place

saudade de você — missing you.
saudade do Brasil — de + o becomes do.
saudade da minha família — de + a becomes da.

The expression sentir falta de can also convey missing someone or something. See it in context in our listening guide about life abroad. Avoid treating falta as only practical and saudade as the only way to express emotional absence.

Try it: a message after a visit

Imagine you have returned home after visiting your Brazilian partner's family. Write one sentence saying who you miss, then add a plan for staying in touch.

Show an original example

Estou com saudade de vocês. Vamos fazer uma chamada no domingo?
I miss you all. Shall we have a call on Sunday?

Vocês addresses more than one person. This is a practice dialogue written for the guide, not a transcript or quotation.

Now try a different situation: you are remembering a holiday in Brazil. Complete Sinto saudade de… with a place, person or experience.

Check a possible answer

Sinto saudade da praia. — I miss the beach. Here de combines with the feminine article a to form da.

For a regular speaking routine, explore our guide to learning Portuguese with a Brazilian partner.

English summary for learners

Meaning: missing or longing for someone or something absent.
Translation: use the sentence's context; “I miss you” is a useful everyday example.
Grammar: feminine noun, a saudade; plural, as saudades.
Pronunciation: stress da; the final sound varies by accent.
Try today: Estou com saudade de você.

Sources and further practice

The explanations above use the Michaelis dictionary entries and UT Austin pronunciation resource linked in the relevant sections. Priberam's saudade entry provides another definition and plural uses. The example sentences and exercises on this page are original teaching material.

For more listening practice, visit the I Speak Portuguese podcast. Choose an episode whose topic interests you and notice how the speakers build everyday expressions into their conversations.