Portuguese · Greetings & Essentials

"Take care" in Portuguese: se cuida

se cuida

Say it: see KOO-ee-dahphrase/ˈse ˈkui.da/

Note: PT-PT: cuida-te

Take care in Portuguese is se cuida. Friends text se cuida! when signing off. Softer or more formal: se cuide. In European Portuguese, cuida-te is common.

Night goodbye

Foi ótimo te ver. Se cuida no caminho!
It was great seeing you. Take care on the way!
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How to pronounce se cuida

Say it

see KOO-ee-dah

/ˈse ˈkui.da/

see KOO-ee-dah

"Take care" in Portuguese: quick reference

PortugueseEnglish
se cuidatake care

Casual Brazilian farewell.

se cuidetake care (softer)

Polite or caring.

cuida-te (PT-PT)take care (Portugal)

European Portuguese.

toma cuidadobe careful

Warning, not only goodbye.

How to use se cuida in real life

  1. 1Night goodbye

    Foi ótimo te ver. Se cuida no caminho!

    It was great seeing you. Take care on the way!

    Farewell.

  2. 2Chat message

    Boa viagem! Se cuida e me avisa quando chegar.

    Have a good trip! Take care and tell me when you arrive.

    Travel.

  3. 3After illness talk

    Descansa hoje, ? Se cuida.

    Rest today, okay? Take care.

    Care tone.

Mistakes English speakers make with se cuida

Incorrect: Take care! (only English with Brazilian friends)

Correct: Se cuida!

Use the Portuguese farewell se cuida.

Incorrect: Cuida-te amanhã. (in Brazil)

Correct: Se cuida amanhã.

Cuida-te is European; Brazil prefers se cuida / se cuide.

Good to know

Se cuida is warm, short, and very Brazilian in chats and doorways. Se cuide sounds a bit softer. Toma cuidado warns about danger; se cuida is mostly affectionate goodbye.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Ending a video call

  1. ChatPal

    Preciso sair. Se cuida, viu?

    I need to go. Take care, okay?

  2. You

    Pode deixar. Você também se cuida!

    Will do. You take care too!

  3. ChatPal

    Vou. Qualquer coisa me chama.

    I’m off. Call me if you need anything.

  4. You

    Combinado. Até amanhã.

    Deal. See you tomorrow.

This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.

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"Take care" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Take care" in Portuguese

Se cuida or se cuide?

Both fine; se cuida is more casual chatty.

Portugal?

Cuida-te is common there.

Is it only goodbye?

Mostly farewell; toma cuidado is the caution phrase.

Reply?

Você também / se cuida também.

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