QUEDAR - The Versatile Verb With Many Meanings

 

"Quedar" - One Verb, Many Meanings

This week, let’s take a closer look at "quedar" – a super versatile verb that can instantly boost your Spanish fluency. Whether you're making plans, talking about something that’s left over, or even describing how clothes fit, "quedar" is your go-to!     Let’s start with the basics. Here’s how you conjugate "quedar" in the present tense: Yo quedo – I stay/meet/remain Tú quedas – You stay/meet/remain Él/Ella queda – He/She stays/meets/remains Nosotros quedamos – We stay/meet/remain Vosotros quedáis – You all stay/meet/remain (Spain) Ellos/Ellas quedan – They stay/meet/remain     Now, let's break down its many uses with some handy examples: 1. To arrange to meet up: One of the most common uses of "quedar" is to set up plans with someone. It’s a casual way to ask someone if they’re available to meet. ¿Quedamos para tomar un café mañana? – Shall we meet for coffee tomorrow? Ellos quedan siempre los viernes para jugar fútbol. – They always meet on Fridays to play soccer. 2. To express remaining or being left: "Quedar" is also used when talking about how much of something is left or remains. Solo queda un trozo de pizza. – There’s only one slice of pizza left. Quedan cinco minutos para que empiece la película. – There are five minutes left before the movie starts. 3. To describe how something fits or looks: When talking about clothes, "quedar" is your go-to verb to describe how something fits. Este vestido me queda perfecto. – This dress fits me perfectly. Esas zapatillas te quedan grandes. – Those shoes are too big for you. 4. To end up (result): "Quedar" can also express how something turns out or ends up as a result. Después de correr tanto, quedé muy cansado. – After running so much, I ended up really tired. Quedamos impresionados con su presentación. – We were really impressed with his presentation. 5. To be located: In most Spanish-speaking countries, "quedar" is also used to indicate the location of a place, similar to the verb "estar." ¿Dónde queda el museo? – Where is the museum located? El restaurante queda cerca de la plaza. – The restaurant is near the square. Quick note: In Spain, "quedar" is THE word for making plans with friends. It's so common that you'll hear "¿Quedamos?" all the time. In Latin America however, while "quedar" is understood everywhere, you might hear these alternatives for meeting up:  Verse: Me veo contigo mañana - I'll meet you tomorrow Juntarse: Nos juntamos después - We'll meet up later As you can see, "quedar" is an incredibly versatile verb that you’ll hear all the time in conversations.

GRAMMAR DEEP DIVE: Quedar is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish. Lets look a little deeper, and cover other flexible ways to use quedar in Spanish, including its pronominal form quedarse.

Quedar conjugation

Before we review how to use quedar, let’s cover its most important conjugations.

Quedar is a regular -ar verb. This means that it has a regular root qued-, and it just takes the regular endings for each tense. Here’s how to conjugate quedar in the three main tenses:

Subject pronoun	Present	Preterite	Future
Yo	Quedo	Quedé	Quedaré
Tú	Quedas	Quedaste	Quedarás
Él, Ella, Usted	Queda	Quedó	Quedará
Nosotros/as	Quedamos	Quedamos	Quedaremos
Vosotros/as	Quedáis	Quedasteis	Quedaréis
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes	Quedan	Quedaron	Quedarán

How to use Quedar

Now that we reviewed the essential quedar conjugations, we can list each possible scenario where we can use quedar.

1. When something or someone stays in the same state they were before an event

• There was an accident and only three people remained uninjured – Hubo un accidente y solo tres personas quedaron ilesas

• I fried some chicken nuggets but surprisingly the kitchen remained clean -Freí algunos nuggets de pollo y sorprendentemente la cocina quedó limpia

2. Something’s final result

• The game finished 4-0 – El juego quedó 4 a 0

• Did they end up as friends? – ¿Quedaron como amigos?

3. From a group of elements that can be bought or consumed, points out how many we have left

• There are five white dresses left – Quedan cinco vestidos blancos

• There is still time left to do the essay – Todavía queda tiempo para hacer el ensayo.

4. To point out undone processes or tasks

• We have a lot of work left to do – Queda mucho trabajo por hacer

• There’s just that wall left to paint – Sólo queda esa pared por pintar

5. To indicate the place in which something is

• The restaurant is three streets away from here – El restaurante queda a tres calles de aquí

• Mount Roraima is in Venezuela – El monte Roraima queda en Venezuela

6. Specifies the remaining period of time until an event will end

• There are three days left until Christmas Eve – Quedan tres días para Nochebuena

• There are just two weeks of vacation left – Sólo quedan dos semanas de vacaciones

7. When we make an agreement or date with someone

• We agreed to meet at 5 pm in the coffee shop – Quedamos en vernos a las 5 pm en la cafetería

• Juan and María agreed to go to the movies – Juan y María quedaron en ir al cine

8. To point out the impression that something makes

• The painting looks good on that wall – El cuadro queda bien en esa pared

• That lamp will look bad there – Esa lámpara quedará mal ahí

Quedarse - the scary Reflexive form

Quedar can also be used as a pronominal verb, meaning that it is used with reflexive pronouns to indicate  that the action is executed by the subject of the sentence on itself, aka, reflexive.
The infinitive of the pronominal form is quedarse.

To use quedarse, we conjugate the verb according to the subject pronoun, and we add the corresponding reflexive pronoun:

Subject Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
Yo	Me
Tú	Te
Él, Ella, Usted	Se
Nosotros/as	Nos
Vosotros/as	Os
Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes	Se

Depending on the message you want to convey, quedarse can be used in the following scenarios:

1. For pointing out how something looks or fit on a person

• That dress looks ugly on you – Ese vestido te queda feo

• These pants don’t fit me – Estos pantalones no me quedan

2. When something stays in a particular state for a particular period of time

• He stayed single – Él se quedó soltero

• We remained silent – Nos quedamos en silencio

3. When someone stays in a particular place

• We stayed in Cancun for a week – Nos quedamos en Cancún por una semana

• María stayed at her house the whole weekend – María se quedó en su casa todo el fin de semana

4. To stop before getting to the final destination

• The runner stopped short just one meter before the goal – El corredor se quedó atrás un metro antes de la meta

• The car broke down, so we stopped in the middle of the road – El carro estaba dañado así que nos quedamos en el medio de la carretera

5. To become the new owner of something

• I’m not going to try anything else on, I’ll go with this shirt – No me probaré nada más, me quedo con esta camisa

• When you move I’ll end up with with your collection – Cuando te mudes me quedaré con colección

6. To prefer something above other options

• I’ll stick with the fried chicken – Me quedo con el pollo frito

• This house is ok, but we’ll stick with ours – Esta casa está bien, pero nos quedamos con la nuestra

How to use Quedar: Exercises

How well do you know how to choose between and conjugate quedar and quedarse?

Test your understanding by translating the following sentences. The answers are below.

1. The white shirt fits you better

2. There were no patients left to attend

3. He stayed there waiting for the bus

4. The competition was tied

5. They did not stay on the beach

6. There are just five toys left

7. Laura and José were stranded on the road

8. There are many dresses left to sew

9. The beach is close to his house

10. When you left your house I’ll keep your notebook

11. There is a week left to see you

12. I like nachos but I prefer french fries

13. We agreed to meet at 8 pm at the restaurant

14. The flowers look good in the garden

Answers

1. La camisa blanca te queda mejor

2. No quedó ningún paciente por atender

3. Se quedó allí esperando el autobús

4. La competencia quedó empatada

5. Ellos no se quedaron en la playa

6. Sólo quedan cinco juguetes

7. Laura y José se quedaron varados en la carretera

8. Quedaron muchos vestidos por coser

9. La playa queda cerca de su casa

10. Cuando te vayas de tu casa me quedaré con tu cuaderno

11. Queda una semana para verte

12. Me gustan los nachos pero me quedo con las papas fritas

13. Quedamos en vernos a las 8 pm en el restaurante

14. Las flores quedan bien en el jardín