What is Saudade?

Saudade (plural saudades) is a deep, untranslatable Portuguese and Galician word for a melancholic longing or nostalgic yearning for something or someone absent,
(like snow in Winter!)
Often with the bittersweet understanding it may never return, blending sadness for the loss with happiness for the memory, and is central to Portuguese culture, music, e.g. Fado, and literature. It signifies missing people, places, or experiences, a feeling of incompleteness, or "the love that remains". 

Key aspects of Saudade

·        Melancholic Longing: A profound sense of missing something or someone dear. 

·        Bittersweet Emotion: Combines sadness for the absence with the joy of having experienced it. 

·        Untranslatable: No single English word captures its full meaning. 

·        Cultural Significance: Deeply rooted in Portuguese history (Age of Discovery) and music, especially Fado, Fado music. 

·        Versatile: Can apply to people, places, times, or even abstract concepts. 

Examples of usage

·        "Saudade de você": "I miss you".

·        "Saudade da praia": "I miss the beach".

·        "Matar saudades": Literally "to kill saudades," meaning to end the feeling of missing someone or something.