Which one should you use?
While cuide-se is used when addressing someone with the pronoun você, it is also the form used when addressing someone formally with o senhor or a senhora. Other informal ways to express a similar sentiment include Fica bem, which means stay well or be okay and the informal Cuida-te or cuida de ti.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In European Portuguese, cuida-te is the standard way to say take care when addressing someone informally with tu.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form cuide-se is the imperative form of the verb cuidar (to take care) combined with the reflexive pronoun se (self), used when addressing someone with você.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use tomar cuidado to mean take care of yourself as a goodbye. However, tomar cuidado specifically means to be cautious or wary of a danger or mistake.
Did you know?
- In Portugal, using cuida-te is the standard for friends, but switching to cuide-se in a casual setting can suddenly create a cold, emotional distance between speakers.
- In some regions of Brazil, se cuida is more common in speech than the formal cuide-se, even though it technically flips the pronoun's position.
- While 'take care' is a common parting phrase in English, using the literal verb 'cuidar' in a goodbye can sometimes sound much more intimate or even motherly in Brazil.
Examples in context
- Cuide-se!Take care.This sentence shows how to use cuide-se as a standalone goodbye.Tatoeba #1150605 by tulio, translation #20362 by TATAR1
- Melhoras. Cuide-se.Get well soon. Take care.This sentence shows how to use cuide-se alongside a wish for someone to feel better.Tatoeba #13890490 by carlosalberto, translation #13890489 by carlosalberto
- Cuide-se, por favor.Please take care of yourself.This sentence shows how to use cuide-se with a polite request.Tatoeba #1546687 by alexmarcelo, translation #38550 by CK
- Bom retorno à sua cidade. Cuide-se durante a viagem!Have a safe journey back to your city. Take care during the trip!
- Aproveita a festa, mas cuida-te, ok?Enjoy the party, but take care, okay?
- Até logo! Fica bem!See you soon! Take care!
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Camila are saying goodbye after a coffee date.
- RodrigoTchau, Camila, cuide-se.Bye, Camila, take care.
- CamilaObrigada, Rodrigo. Tchau!Thank you, Rodrigo. Bye!
- RodrigoAté a próxima.Until next time.
- CamilaAté logo!See you soon!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
