verb

quedar

stay · meet · remain

Es cuando una persona permanece en un lugar o en una situación, o cuando se hace un acuerdo para encontrarse con alguien.

Definition & meaning

Quedar is a versatile Spanish verb. Its meaning depends strongly on the construction:

To remain; to be left: Quedan tres páginas ([quedan tres páginas](vocabuo://word/quedan tres páginas)) means “Three pages remain.” The thing that remains is the grammatical subject.
To stay or remain somewhere: Quedó en casa ([quedó en casa](vocabuo://word/quedó en casa)) means “He or she stayed at home.” For the sense “stay,” the pronominal form is also very common.
To meet or arrange to meet: [quedar con alguien](vocabuo://word/quedar con alguien) means “to meet someone” or “to arrange to meet someone.” Quedamos a las seis ([quedamos a las seis](vocabuo://word/quedamos a las seis)) means “We arranged to meet at six.”
To be located: El hotel queda cerca ([queda cerca](vocabuo://word/queda cerca)) means “The hotel is nearby.” This use is common in many regions; elsewhere, or [estar situado](vocabuo://word/estar situado) may be more usual.
To fit, suit, or look a certain way: La camisa te queda bien ([te queda bien](vocabuo://word/te queda bien)) means “The shirt fits you well” or “The shirt looks good on you.” It can also describe how something turns out or is left: [quedar bien](vocabuo://word/quedar bien), “to look good,” “to turn out well,” or “to make a good impression.”
To end up or turn out: La película quedó muy bien ([quedó muy bien](vocabuo://word/quedó muy bien)) means “The film turned out very well.” With a past participle, it can describe a resulting state: [quedar cerrado](vocabuo://word/quedar cerrado), “to end up closed” or “to be left closed.”
To be due or remain to be done: [quedar por hacer](vocabuo://word/quedar por hacer) means “to remain to be done.” [Queda mucho por aprender](vocabuo://word/queda mucho por aprender) means “There is still a lot to learn.”
To agree or settle on something: [quedar en algo](vocabuo://word/quedar en algo) means “to agree on something” or “to settle on something.”
To keep or take something for oneself: In the pronominal construction [quedarse con algo](vocabuo://word/quedarse con algo), it means “to keep something” or “to choose/take something.”

Grammar & Word origin

Quedar is a regular -ar verb. Its forms follow the usual pattern, as in the present-tense , , and . Its past participle is .

The pronominal form quedarse changes the construction and often emphasizes staying, remaining, or keeping something: [quedarse en casa](vocabuo://word/quedarse en casa) means “to stay at home,” while [quedarse con algo](vocabuo://word/quedarse con algo) means “to keep something.” In sentences about fit or appearance, the person is commonly expressed with an indirect-object pronoun: [me queda bien](vocabuo://word/me queda bien), “it fits me well” or “it looks good on me.”

Quedar comes from Latin quietare, meaning “to calm” or “to make quiet”; its modern meanings developed around the ideas of being left, staying, or remaining.

Synonyms & antonyms

There is no single synonym that works for every meaning of quedar. The best alternative depends on the construction:

For remaining, and are alternatives. emphasizes continuing in a state or place; often emphasizes what is left, especially a quantity.
For staying, is the usual pronominal alternative; can sound more formal.
For meeting, means “to meet” or “to gather,” but does not necessarily convey the idea of arranging a meeting in advance.
For being located, is a common alternative, though usage varies by region.
For fitting or looking good, [sentar bien](vocabuo://word/sentar bien) is a close alternative, especially for clothing or appearance. focuses more specifically on fitting or being the right size.
For turning out, is a useful alternative and often emphasizes the outcome.

Antonyms also depend on the sense:

Opposite to remain or stay: (“to leave”) or (“to go away”).
Opposite to be left over: (“to be missing” or “to be lacking”) can contrast with what remains.
Opposite to fit well or look good: [quedar mal](vocabuo://word/quedar mal) means “to fit or look bad,” though it is the negative counterpart rather than a separate verb.

Common phrases & collocations

[quedar con alguien](vocabuo://word/quedar con alguien) — to arrange to meet someone
[quedar en casa](vocabuo://word/quedar en casa) — to stay at home
[quedar cerca](vocabuo://word/quedar cerca) — to be nearby
[quedar bien](vocabuo://word/quedar bien) — to fit or look good; to make a good impression; to turn out well
[quedar mal](vocabuo://word/quedar mal) — to fit or look bad; to make a poor impression
[quedar por hacer](vocabuo://word/quedar por hacer) — to remain to be done
[quedar en algo](vocabuo://word/quedar en algo) — to agree or settle on something
[quedarse con algo](vocabuo://word/quedarse con algo) — to keep or choose something