Querido / querida
keh-REE-doo / keh-REE-dah
How to say itPart of: Affection
“Dear; darling; honey.”
Querido and querida (“wanted, cherished”) are dear, darling, honey. They agree with the person named: querida to a woman, querido to a man. Partners say it, parents say it, friends say it, and it opens letters and emails: querida Ana. On its own, between adults, it can also be warm sarcasm: ah, querido…
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InformalAll Brazilalso: querida, queridinho, queridinhaReply: Oi, querido / querida.
How Brazilians use it
“Querido, você viu as minhas chaves?”
“Darling, have you seen my keys?”
To a partner; a man.
“Obrigada, querida!”
“Thanks, dear!”
To a friend; a woman.
“Querida Ana, tudo bem?”
“Dear Ana, how are you?”
Opening a letter or an email.
“Ah, querido, assim não dá.”
“Oh, honey, that won’t do.”
Warm sarcasm.
In a real book
“— Como está a minha querida mamãe?”How to reply
- Oi, querido / querida.In kind.
Similar expressions
- Meu amorMy love: the same to anyone.
- Lindo / lindaBeautiful, as a pet name.
- Amiga / amigoFriend: Brazilians call friends amiga as a pet name.
- Fofo / fofaCute, sweet.
Brazil vs Portugal
The same in Portugal, where querido / querida is the usual letter opening and a common pet name between partners.
Common mistakes
- Don’t match it to yourself: querida describes the person you call, so a man says querida to a woman.
- Don’t hear querida from a shop assistant as flirting: it is warmth.
- Don’t confuse the two Spanish-looking spellings: Portuguese querido has no accent and is said keh-REE-doo.
Frequently asked questions
What does it mean to call someone querida?
Dear, darling, honey: a pet name for a woman, from a partner, a parent, a friend or an aunt. It is warm and very common; on its own it rarely means more than fondness.
What is querida for a man?
Querido. The word agrees with the person named: querida for a woman, querido for a man, queridos for a group.
Is querido Spanish or Portuguese?
Both languages have it, spelled the same. In Portuguese it is said keh-REE-doo, with the final o like “oo”.
How do you start a letter with querido?
Querida Ana, or querido João, then the message. For a group, queridos amigos. It is the standard warm opening in Brazilian letters and emails.