Saudade

There’s a certain beauty to words that don’t have a direct translation in english. For me, it shows how diffent cultures can view the world in unique ways.

One of my favorite untranslateable words is the Gailician and Portuguese saying, Saudade (English pronounciation: /saʊˈdɑːdə/).

Saudade has many definitions, including a melancholy nostalgia for something that perhaps has not even happened. It often carries an assurance that this thing you feel nostalgic for will never happen again.

When I listen to a song that triggers a pleasant or emotional memory, that’s saudade. That nostalgic feeling of a past lover, that’s saudade. Remembering a loved one that has long has past, that’s saudade.

When was the last time you felt saudade?