ficar · Momolang

to stay · to remain

To stay in a place or continue in a situation.

ficar + place or state

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.

ficar + adjective

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.

ficar + location

be located

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.

ficar + resulting situation

end up

Meu amigo cancelou a viagem e fiquei sem carona.

My friend canceled the trip, and I ended up without a ride.

to kiss · to hook up

Brazil · informal

To have a casual romantic encounter, without necessarily starting a committed relationship.

ficar com + someone

hook upBrazil · informal

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.

THE LITTLE DISTINCTION

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 the conjugation of ficar.

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About this entry · draft content

Original prototype explanations and examples. Not imported from a dictionary; awaiting human editorial review. Bilingual links and their original examples were checked separately; existing Portuguese text, forms and original review status are retained.