to stay · to remain
To stay in a place or continue in a situation.
Fiquei em casa ontem.
I stayed home yesterday.
Pode ficar aqui.
You can stay here.
to become · to get
To enter a new state, often an emotion or a physical condition.
Ela ficou nervosa antes da entrevista.
She got nervous before the interview.
The adjective agrees with its subject: ele ficou nervoso; ela ficou nervosa.
to be located
To describe where a place or thing is.
O restaurante fica perto daqui.
The restaurant is near here.
Here, ficar describes location. It does not imply that the restaurant has moved or changed.
to end up
To describe the situation that results, often without it being planned.
Perdi o ônibus e fiquei sem carona.
I missed the bus and ended up without a ride.
to kiss · to hook up
Brazil · informalTo have a casual romantic encounter, without necessarily starting a committed relationship.
Ela ficou com um amigo na festa.
She made out with a friend at the party.
The expression does not specify whether sex occurred. English “hook up” can suggest more than the Portuguese phrase does.
A change, or a state?
With an adjective, ficar often points to a change: fiquei nervoso means I got nervous. Estar describes a state: estava nervoso means I was nervous. Context matters—ficar can also mean remaining in a state, as in ficou calado durante a reunião (he stayed quiet during the meeting).
Conjugation
Explore every tense and mood of ficar.
View full conjugation →About this entry · draft content
Original prototype explanations and examples. Not imported from a dictionary; awaiting human editorial review.