“Quedar” in Spanish – A verb with several meanings

Welcome 😊 to our grammar lesson on the Spanish verb quedar.

quedar has several possible meanings depending on the specific sentence.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use “quedar” with its different meanings.

You will also find an Exercise to practice.

“quedar” Vs. “quedarse”

The following table shows the meanings of “quedar” when it is not reflexive, and also when it is reflexive (“quedarse”):

quedar	quedarse
to arrange to meet - to meet	to stay
to agree to do something	to be left in a certain condition
there to be left	to keep something
to fit, to suit
to leave a certain impression
to be located

Click here if you need to review Reflexive Verbs

Next we’ll read example sentences for each meaning.

Meanings of “quedar” (not reflexive)

to arrange to meet / to meet

In can mean “to arrange to meet” or simply “to meet”.

Nosotros quedamos todas las semanas.
We meet (or arrange to meet) every week.

¿A qué hora quedamos?
At what time do we meet?

¿Dónde quedamos?
Where do we meet?

We can use the preposition con after “quedar” to introduce the person with whom someone meets:

Yo he quedado con mi prima.
I have arranged to meet with my cousin.

Ella siempre queda con su novio junto a la estación.
She always meets her boyfriend by the station.

to agree to do something

We use “quedar” colloquially as “to agree to do something”.

In this case, it is followed by the preposition en and then a verb in the Infinitive.

Hemos quedado en comprar una tele nueva.
We have agreed to buy a new TV.

Ellos quedaron en esperar un poco más.
They agreed to wait a little longer.

there to be left

To express how many people or things are left somewhere:

Solo quedan cinco personas en la fiesta.
There are only five people left at the party.

¿Cuántas botellas quedan?
How many bottles are left?

No queda chocolate.
There is no chocolate left.

to fit, to suit

Example:

La mesa queda bien aquí.
The table fits well here.

To express how a garment fits someone, we can place an Indirect Object Pronoun before “quedar”:

¿Cómo me queda la chaqueta?
How does the jacket fit me?

Las gafas te quedan mal.
The glasses look bad on you.

to leave a certain impression

Examples:

Santiago siempre queda bien.
Santiago always leaves a good impression.

Ellos quedan mal.
They leave a bad impression.

We can use the word como after “quedar” if the impression is in the form of a comparison:

He quedado como un tonto.
I have looked like a dummy.

to be located

We can use “quedar” to express where something is located approximately:

Mi piso queda por el barrio de Lavapiés.
Mi flat is in the Lavapiés neighborhood.

Los bares quedan cerca de la estación.
The bars are near de station.

Meanings of “quedarse” (reflexive)

to stay

Examples:

Hoy me quedo en casa.
Today I stay home.

¿En qué hotel te quedas?
In which hotel are you staying?

Nos quedamos aquí.
We stay here.

to be left in a certain condition

Here “quedarse” expresses the result of some process or experience:

Me quedé solo.
I ended up alone / I was left alone.

Luis se ha quedado calvo.
Luis has gone bald.

El niño se quedó contento con su fiesta de cumpleaños.
The child was left happy with his birthday party.

to keep something

Yo me quedo este sombrero.
I keep this hat.

¿Vosotros os quedáis el libro?
¿Do you guys keep the book?

Practice

Complete the following sentences choosing between the options in brackets (the first option is not reflexive, the second one is reflexive). Click on the gray spaces to see the solutions:

1) ¿Por dónde queda el teatro? (queda / se queda)
Where is the theater?

2) Vosotros os quedáis en la oficina. (quedáis / os quedáis)
You guys stay in the office.

3) ¿Cuántos bocadillos quedan ? (quedan / se quedan)
How many sandwiches are left?

4) Ellos han quedado frente al restaurante. (han quedado / se han quedado)
They have arranged to meet in front of the restaurant.

5) Yo siempre quedo bien. (quedo / me quedo)
I always leave a good impression.

6) Nosotros quedamos en pagar a medias. (quedamos / nos quedamos)
We agreed to split the bill.

7) Tú te quedas el juguete. (quedas / te quedas)
You keep the toy.