Questions from a Portuguese speaker – how do you say “saudade,” “fulano,” and when do you use “&” instead of “and”?

1) I don’t know if saudade has a direct translation in English, but I can ask my friend from uni who is also from Brazil if he knows.  It is important to know though that even if English doesn’t have a direct translation of it we probably can still explain it, it will just take more words. 2) we do use John Doe a fair amount in English (Jane Doe if it’s a women), but you can also use John Smith to get the same effect. We don’t really use these in jokes very much (at least I don’t). 3) & is the same thing as and, so they can be used interchangeably with little to no confusion. I find that where I am we tend to use & if there are only 2 things (“this & that” vs “this, that, and these), but it’s all just a matter of style really.

For #2, "Tom, Dick, and Harry" might be an equivalent, although it's a little old fashioned

& is not commonly used. We're taught in school, or at least this was the case when I was in school, that means "and" but to only ever use "and." It was even taught as part of the alphabet, but that hasn't been the case in a long time. We don't have a word for "saudade." We just say "I miss her a lot" or something like that. The closest we have to Fulano might be Felicia, as in "Bye, Felicia." This was a woman in a movie, who would always show up whenever anyone was smoking weed with friends but never brought weed herself.

3. "&" is used in business names (M&M's, Ben & Jerry, Dolce & Gabbana) and partnerships, like law firms or music duos (Simon & Garfunkel). It's also used in very informal writing, like social media posts and shopping lists. You generally don't see it anywhere else in contemporary English. I wouldn't use it in formal writing or published writing.

I think the “direct” may be the issue. I don’t know any Portuguese, but what you describe I might translate to longing, yearning, or pining.

“And” can be shortened to “&”but only in the context of shorthand and names. “Instead” means something different. closest you get is exclusive or. basically “only this not that/only that not this”, instead(see) of “this or that or both” which “or” can technically imply. English is a language that uses prepositions and similar meanings to produce almost surgical precision when discussing a topic in conversation. There are plenty of times where the nuanced meaning of a very similar word *absolutely* matters. Just take it as almost no word in English is completely interchangeable with another, there is almost always a case where it’s nuanced meaning matters. As for the other two I don’t speak Portuguese the closest I get is 4 years of Spanish and all that’s telling me is this is a bout feelings which doesn’t help. Google says “feeling longing, melancholy and nostalgia” which feels more like a list than a single word but that’s probably due to distinctions between them and the lack of a need for a word like saudade. That’s not to say Portuguese doesn’t use it or need it it’s merely a product of cultural perspective. Gun to my head The closest I’d get is melancholic nostalgic longing. And the names are “John/jane smith”(or just about anything “smith”tbh), john/jane doe(which is kinda old fashioned) and “so and so”. Sometimes it’s used sarcastically but the sarcasm names are likely to be a little more person specific and creative with the name structure with obvious jabs in the names themselves.

We do have words *similar* to saudade. 'Heartsick' is one. 'Lovelorn' is another. Their individual meanings vary a little. 'Lovelorn' is how we feel for someone we love who does not feel the same love towards us. 'Heartsick' is how we feel over the loss of the love of someone who has died or otherwise gone away.

1. We would just say I miss X, or I miss you / I miss -insert name-. There is not a single word that works as a substitute, in the same way as how that Portuguese word sounds. So yeah, it’s not an untranslatable word, but it can’t be translated into a single word. 2. If I’m understanding right, in Portuguese, Fulano is used to refer to someone casually, and would also be used if you didn’t know their actual name. So and so seems to be the best translation for this. Another alternative would be that guy / this guy. “I was at a party and this guy was really drunk” would be a good way to begin a story about an unknown drunk person at a party. In English, at least to me, John/Jane Doe connotes an unknown person who has been found dead. The police would release information about “John Doe” in hopes of receiving more concrete information about their identity. John Doe is not interchangeable with ‘so and so’. John Smith is the standard, generic name you would see on paperwork, bank forms, etc. But we wouldn’t use ‘John Smith’ in a casual conversation to mean a random person. As an Australian, the example you gave for Fulano reminds me of a fun Australianism: ‘Old Mate’. Old mate is essentially interchangeable with this/that guy. You can also use it as a substitute for an unknown name. “The policeman gave me directions” / “Old mate gave me directions”. Not saying you should use this outside of Australia, it’s just interesting how similar this sounds to ‘Fulano’. 3. Using and vs an ampersand (&) is really a matter of style. Some people prefer to use it in handwriting as it is faster than writing the word ‘and’. But on a touchscreen it takes the same number of inputs to make an ampersand as it does to type out the word ‘and’. There are a few places you’re likely to see an ampersand instead of ‘and’. Things like logos or business names often use the ampersand symbol e.g Dolce & Gabbana. Historically it was just a way of saving space on paper, now it is a matter of style and personal taste.

Looking it up on reverso context I see "saudade" is mostly translated as "longing" and then occasionally "homesickness", "nostalgia", "yearning", "pining", "missing". We don't have an established set of three names like this but people used to say "Tom, dick, and harry" in this sense. That's kind of out of fashion. If I wanted to suggest a list of random people, I would probably just pick some generic sounding names. In computer science sometimes they talk about "Alice and Bob" in this sense of familiar paired names that let you know these are placeholder names more than individuals. John Doe is about as close as I can think of a general purpose modern version. & is primarily visual and space saving. I use the & if I want it to look different than all the other times I've written "and" in that sentence/paragraph/message or like addressing a letter to a couple or something. It's not really for any formal writing, it's like an abbreviation of the word and but it also can look cool. Lots of business names like you said, which is because of the logo design aspect.

Portuguese doesn't really need & because "e" is already short enough. & is used for an assortment of things. * Company names typically use & instead of "and". * Abbreviations typically use & instead of A. "Questions and Answers" is abbreviated as "Q & A", not "QAA". * & can be used in headlines, marquee signs, or any other place where space is limited. * Sometimes specialty fields will assign specific meanings to the & symbol. In movie credits, "and" is used to represent writers who worked together directly and "&" indicates that listed authors both worked on the script but not at the same time. As for “fulano, ciclano e beltrano", the closest examples I can think of are [Alice and Bob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_and_Bob) but those names are only used as place fillers when discussing cryptography. Most people would NOT get an Alice and Bob reference.

1. There is no direct equivalent. Words with somewhat similar meaning that are used in English: *longing*, *yearning*; *nostalgia*; *wistfulness*; in combination, *sickness* (e.g., *homesickness*, *lovesickness*). Probably some books, in translation, just leave the word as *saudade*, and others choose whichever English word contextually fits best, on a case-by-case basis. 2. "Tom, Dick, and Harry" can be used together, but as far as breaking it up the way you do in your example, we would just say things like, "One guy went to the store, and then another guy called him," or, "Someone went to the story, and then someone else called him." 3. I rarely ever use &. Mostly I think of it as something used in business names. In casual handwriting some people use it a lot because it's faster to write than *and*, but since it isn't faster to type, there's not much motivation to do that with anything digital. Lesson: Part of learning other languages is learning that we don't just *use* different words, we *say* different things.

1. There’s not really a direct translation for that from what I know. The closest may be “wistful” but I’m not sure if that’s quite right. Typically to describe that we would just say that really really miss the thing or in prose, you figuratively language 2. Usually, John Doe or Jane Doe, or John or Jane Smith if trying to be generic. I’ve seen jokes with stuff like that in the past, but it’s not common imo. 3. When listing two things they are interchangeable. Typically with longer lists, people will use “and”. I’ve seen “&” used with three, but anymore than that and it’s almost always “and”. You also only use “&” when listing things for the most part, unless very casual typing, and even then I rarely see it. Also some people use “&” for short hand when note taking, which is when I use it the most. And you probably wouldn’t use “&” in academic contexts outside of when speaking of companies that have a “&” in their name or again, maybe when you are talking about two things.

These are specific to me and my experiences. 1. Longing for something. Usually we either add things to missing, like really missing or desperately missing. Longing for something is a specific connotation, usually romantic in nature, or I should say it is intimate. Another way we do this is figurative language. It’s common to just use more words to describe it. 2. English does this all the time, just with our common names, or some common ones from the past. Jim, Joe, Bob, John, Sarah, Betsy, etc. Some of these names have individual stereotypes to some people, but these type of names can fit anywhere. John and Jane are used in this commonly, and in specific situations like a mystery when people are trying to pinpoint who “Jane Doe” is. There are more layers to doing this, but it can turn into me telling you how to offend people and I don’t need to do that. You can make them silly or add humor to them, Bob could be Billy Bob Latrisco if he needed to be. The key, really, is tone of voice. 3. I, personally, only use & if it is specifically used already. Most of the time it is in brand names. Like it isn’t M and M’s it’s m&m’s. Generally speaking, I would never write that in regular body text outside of that type of use. Title text I could use it in, maybe certain graphic design layouts.

1. "Saudade" is directly borrowed into English, though very rarely used. "Nostalgia" and "desiderium" are close, but don't really have the same connotation as "saudade" from what I understand, and native English speakers would probably express saudade as feeling a sense of longing or wistfulness, or as "missing" something, though those don't always have the precise meaning. 2. As other people have said, "Tom, Dick, and Harry" are closest, but we don't have an equivalent for the list and example use of "fulano, ciclano, e beltrano". Often we'll just use random names, usually common ones like Jack or John or Mary. 3. The ampersand (&) is mainly used in stuff like brand names and book titles in the modern day, though it's more common in older texts. Outside of those that I've seen it used is when writing stuff out quickly or to reduce the length of a text, though "n" or "+" is used in those cases just as if not more often. Finally, it is sometimes used to replace the word "et" in some phrases borrowed from Latin like "et cetera" and "et al". In general, though, it's better to just use "and" unless you are referring to something that already uses "&" in the name.

To add to what others have said: 1. “Longing” might be another option. You long for a person you used to know, you long for a time that’s passed, etc. I think you’re right there’s no direct translation though. 2. “Joe Shmoe” is similar-ish. Like “John Doe” it refers to an anonymous, regular man. You could say “John Doe went to the store and Joe Shmoe called him.” Though I’d probably just say “some guy went to the store and another guy called him.”

1. Words like this are traditionally left untranslated in English. A few examples would be ennui (a feeling of deep societal alienation) and Weltschmerz (the feeling that one's desires and self are irreconcilable with the world and cannot be satisfied by anything within it) from French and German respectively. Nostalgia is probably the closest related word; it comes from Greek originally and means homesickness or longing. It is used often in both casual and academic settings. Another word that comes to mind however is sonder and while it's definitely quite removed from the concept of saudade, it does reference an existential feeling of lack. Sonder is the realization that everyone is as complicated as oneself, the centers of their own stories, and yet it also encompasses the realization that those stories are unknowable to us. Almost all the meaning in the world is hidden from us and we can never touch it. We can only watch as the façades that carry countless beautiful and painful burdens pass us by, never to be truly seen in all their splendor. Most casually, longing, yearning, and nostalgia would probably be the best substitutes. Hopefully that helps a little, and maybe inspires you to look for more complicated emotions with unusual names—there are a lot. 2. Theres really no direct translation for this used in modern American English. The closest things I can think of would be John/Jane Smith (a stand in for an average American / every(wo)man) and John/Jane Doe (any unidentified person, usually in a legal or criminal context). Neither of these carry a particularly comedic bend though. 3. I use ampersand when I'm taking notes by hand or to write &c. (a moderately old-fashion version of etc., aka et cetera, aka and cetera.) It is basically never typed in daily conversation and it's not used in a formal context with the exception of some brand names I'd assume. There's no reason for you to ever use it except when writing by hand for convenience.

Is "saudade" a noun to describe the feeling of really missing someone? Pining or longing might work?

**2.** *"John Doe"* and *"Jane Doe"* are names for anonymous people, but they're usually used to refer to an unidentified corpse or an unnamed person in legal or medical contexts. More general names for random people include: * *Joe Blow* / *Joe Schmoe* * *Fred Bloggs* / *Joe Bloggs* * *Joe Sixpack* \- used to refer to a stereotypical working-class man. * *John Smith* \- the most "average" name. Terms for random people include: * *The man on the bus* / *The man on the street* \- for an average, unnamed person. * *So-and-so* \- can mean a random person, but often implies something rude or derogatory. (E.g. “He’s a nasty little so-and-so!”) If you don’t know or can’t recall someone’s name, you might use: * *Whatshisface* (i.e. "What's his face") / *Whatshisname* ("What's his name") **The closest English idiom to** *“fulano, ciclano e beltrano”* **is:** * *“Tom, Dick, and Harry”* \- a trio of random, unspecified men.

1. I think the word “anguish” holds the same emotional weight as “Saudade”, but you would have to specify that the anguish is due to missing someone/something. 3. Although you’ll see it all the time online (which is of course fine), remember that ‘&’ is never used in a sentence to replace “and” in structured or professional writing! It’s only used in titles/brand names/invitations, etc. Incorrect: “I enjoy reading books & watching movies.” Correct: “You are invited to the wedding of Katherine & Robert”

1. I would use pining, longing, yearning, aching. 2. Tom, Dick, and Harry. 3. "&" Is acceptable for informal writing, note taking, or when space matters more like on a plaque or award. "And" is preferred for formal writing like business and homework.

People might also use different words for saudade depending on the context, like several that have been suggested in different text with differenttonesm I'd also add bereft for a sense of deep loss.

People sometimes use & in informal writing or a shorthand in notes. Formally, it's often used in names of companies or law firms, as well as in abbreviations. I like to use it with names of university courses to prevent ambiguity. For example, "Last semester I took Money & Banking and Signals & Systems". This is less confusing than using "and" throughout. As for "saudade", it comes from the same Latin root as English "solitude", but it does not convey the same meaning in modern language. There is no single word in English that translates the Portuguese word. You can use "miss" to get somewhat close.

For saudade, “to miss” actually does have the element of a strong feeling when you’re talking about missing a person or something that you care about. This is in contrast to usages like “missed the train” or “a page is missing from the book,” which are neutral emotionally. When you say you miss someone, it’s implied that there is an emotional feeling. The context is important. That said, “missing someone” isn’t quite as strong as other words such as “longing” or “yearning.” These are more intense feelings of missing someone or something that are closer to saudade.

The topic of *saudade* comes up a lot. I speak both Portuguese and English, and I think the attention it gets is partly hype and partly due to *saudade* being a uniquely expression in Lusophone and Galician culture. There’s no exact 1-to-1 translation—but that’s true of many words. It all depends on context: Todos nós sentimos muita saudade de você. = “We all miss you very much.” (Most of the time, it can be translated with the verb “to miss.”) Eu tinha muita saudade de casa. = “I was very homesick.” Pensamentos e sentimentos de saudade e pena. = “Thoughts and feelings of longing and sorrow.” Um velho amigo nosso, que recordamos com saudade. = “An old friend of ours, whom we remember fondly.” What you should really watch out for are words like "chato" which can be "boring" AND "annoying" in English, which can really cause confusion. :)

"Saudade" I was told by my Portuguese teacher means longing or yearning for something from the past.

It's wild that people just offer up their real name online now, really contrasting to how I was taught to use the internet. At least it's a lot harder to find OP with a name like that lol.

"Saudade" indeed lacks a direct translation, the closest ideas would probably be "yearning" or "longing", but most often one would just say they "miss" something. Some generic stand-in names include John/Jane Doe, Alice and Bob, Mary... most aren't thoroughly established as a dedicated "placeholder" names but work pretty well for it. There isn't really a rule for using the ampersand (&) vs just typing "and". It's a little more work to type but also a little shorter, it kind of just comes down to preference. I would consider it a little more formal or fancy but as you've observed it's not to any degree where one would seem out of place if swapped with the other.