Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| quedar | /keˈdaɾ/ |
| permanecer | /peɾmaneˈθeɾ/ /peɾmaneˈseɾ/ |
The verb quedar is used to express the act of staying or remaining in a particular place. It is a highly polysemous word, meaning that depending on the context, it can also mean 'to be located' (referring to a place) or 'to meet up' (with a person). Related nouns include estadía, estancia and estalaje, which refer to a residence or a sojourn.
Which one should you use?
While quedar is the common way to say 'to stay' in most contexts, permanecer is used to emphasize a continuous state or to convey a more formal sense of remaining in a place or condition.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In many spoken contexts, especially when expressing the intention to stay in a place, the reflexive form quedarse is more common than the non-reflexive quedar.
How do you pronounce it?
/keˈdaɾ/
What mistakes should you avoid?
When you mean 'I am staying', avoid omitting the reflexive pronoun. For example, instead of saying quedo en casa, you should say me quedo en casa.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, quedar is used to describe how clothes fit. For example, saying a shirt me queda bien means it 'stays' or fits on the body correctly.
- The verb quedar is a linguistic cousin to the English words 'quiet' and 'quit'.
- If a Spanish speaker says quedan cinco minutos, they are not talking about staying, but that five minutes 'remain' before an event ends.
Examples in context
- Me quedaré en casa.I will stay at home.This sentence is useful for expressing the intention to stay at home using quedar.Tatoeba #885672 by Shishir, translation #256483 by CK
- No me puedo quedar.I can't stay.This sentence is useful for expressing an inability to stay using quedar.Tatoeba #2353293 by Shishir, translation #1954912 by CK
- Tom se debe quedar.Tom has to stay.This sentence is useful for expressing an obligation to stay using quedar.Tatoeba #2968542 by marcelostockle, translation #2272752 by CK
- 602 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are discussing their plans for the weekend.
- Sofía¿Vas a viajar este fin de semana?Are you traveling this weekend?
- DanielNo, prefiero quedar en la ciudad.No, I prefer to stay in the city.
- SofíaEntonces podemos ir al cine juntos.Then we can go to the movies together.
- DanielMe parece una idea excelente, Sofía.That sounds like an excellent idea, Sofía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stay” translations and entries quedar, permanecer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries permanecer, quedar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
