Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA |
|---|---|
| ficar | /fiˈka(ʁ)/ (Brazil) /fiˈka(ɾ)/ (São Paulo) |
| permanecer | /peʁ.ma.neˈse(ʁ)/ (Brazil) |
The primary way to express staying or remaining in a particular place is using ficar. This verb is also very frequently used to express the location of objects or places, such as asking where a bathroom is located. While ficar describes remaining in a place, the expression manter-se is used when you want to imply staying in a specific condition or state.
Which one should you use?
In contrast, permanecer is a more formal synonym used to imply a continuous state of remaining. While ficar is used for general staying, permanecer is more common in written contexts or serious speech.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word fique is the imperative form used when giving a command to stay. If you want to say 'I stayed' in the past tense, use the first-person singular preterite form fiquei.
How do you pronounce it?
/fiˈka(ʁ)/
Did you know?
- In Brazil, ficar is a common slang term for two people who are dating casually without being in a committed relationship.
- The verb ficar is actually a relative of the English word 'fix', as both originate from the Latin root meaning to drive or fasten something in place.
- While it can mean 'to stay', ficar is also the most common way to express that someone 'became' something, such as 'ficar triste' for 'to become sad'.
Examples in context
- Eu vou ficar lá.I will stay there.This sentence shows how to express the intention to stay somewhere using ficar.Tatoeba #5302434 by carlosalberto, translation #1944309 by kerbear407
- Eu não vou ficar.I'm not going to stay.This sentence demonstrates a negative intention to stay using ficar.Tatoeba #4945103 by bill, translation #4918934 by CK
- Vou ficar em casa.I will stay at home.This sentence shows how to express staying at a specific location using ficar.Tatoeba #576938 by brauliobezerra, translation #256483 by CK
- Por favor, fique na sala de esperaPlease stay in the waiting room
- Você precisa permanecer na empresa até o término do contratoYou need to stay in the company until the end of the contract
- É importante que você se mantenha calmo durante a reuniãoIt's important for you to stay calm during the meeting
- Vamos permanecer em casa hojeLet's stay at home today
- Estou ficando na casa de um amigoI'm staying at a friend's house
- Fica aqui enquanto eu vou buscar algoStay here while I go get something
- Continua aí que vou resolver isso para vocêStay there, I'll sort this out for you
- 1001 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Beatriz and Lucas are deciding whether to leave a party.
- BeatrizLucas, você quer ficar na festa?Lucas, do you want to stay at the party?
- LucasEu prefiro ficar um pouco mais.I prefer to stay a little longer.
- BeatrizEu também vou ficar com você.I will stay with you too.
- LucasQue bom, Beatriz!That's good, Beatriz!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stay” translations and entries ficar, permanecer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ficar, permanecer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
