Spanish word of the month

The word for February 2000 is: Quedar

Homepage: http://www.lingolex.com/spanish.htm

The use of the word "quedar" can be very confusing and
can be difficult to use and understand.

English Spanish
The easiest and most useful meaning of "quedar" is "arrange to meet" it is used when making plans to go out or meet people.
Where can we meet? ¿Dónde podemos quedar?

Q: Do you fancy going to the cinema tonight?
A: Sorry I can't, because I have already arranged to go out for dinner with some friends.

Q: ¿Te apetece ir al cine esta noche?
A: Lo siento, no puedo porque ya he quedado con unos amigos para cenar
Quedar can also mean "to come to an agreement" This is normally used when two people discuss something and then come to an agreement. Note: If you just want to ask someone "Do you agree?" you would say "¿Estás de acuerdo?"
They agreed not to tell him anything Quedaron en no decirle nada
What did you decide on/agree to in the end? ¿Al final, en qué quedaste?
So, what's happening? Shall we see each other tomorrow or not? ¿Entonces en qué quedamos? ¿Nos vemos mañana o no?
We often use "quedar" to speak about the effects or result of something after something has happened and it is similar to "become", "to end up" or "to be left".
thousands of families were left homeless miles de familias quedaron sin hogar
she became pregnant se quedó embarazada
he became an orphan when he was ten quedó huérfano a los diez años
it looks lovely after having been painted red ha quedado precioso pintado de rojo
they were stunned after finding out about his resignation. se quedaron atónitos al enterarse de su dimisión
he was blinded in an accident se quedó ciego en un accidente
"Quedar" can mean "to stay" or "remain"
I'm going to stay at home tonight voy a quedarme en casa esta noche
we stayed at the Dorchester nos quedamos en el Dorchester
I like visiting Madrid, but I wouldn’t want to live there Me gusta visitar Madrid, pero no me gustaría quedarme allí a vivir
"Quedar" can mean "to have left" and also "to have left over"
there is no coffee left
there are no tickets left
no queda café
no quedan entradas
I drank the milk that was left over from breakfast bebí la leche que había quedado del desayuno
"Quedar" can mean "to keep"
Keep the change (when paying for something) quédate con el cambio
She didn't give me my money back se quedó con mi dinero
We haven't listed all the possible uses of "quedar" but here are a few more examples which we found by chance on web pages.
to be left stranded (or to run aground) quedar varado
to get bogged down quedar empantanado
I made a complete fool of myself quedé como un verdadero idiota
sorry I’m late, I overslept perdón por llegar tarde, me quedé dormido
if you pay for my ticket, then we will be quits. si me pagas la entrada, quedamos en paz
my mind went blank me quedé en blanco;
How long are going to stay you in London? ¿cuánto tiempo te vas a quedar en Londres?
our plan won’t get anywhere nuestro plan va a quedar en nada
what I’m about to say is strictly between you and me lo que te voy a decir debe quedar entre nosotros


Click here
to see all the conjugations of the verb quedar

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