Home / Intermediate / 5. Useful Verbs
5.4 To Remain or To Stay
The verb ‘quedar’ – 'to remain' or ‘to stay’, has a number of uses in colloquial Latin American Spanish.
Los Ángeles queda en la parte occidental del país – Los Angeles is located in the western part of the country.
Cuánto tiempo se quedaron ustedes en Bogotá – How long did you stay in Bogota?
Dónde queda la oficina de inmigración? – Where is the immigration office located?
You can also use ‘quedar’ to express something that is left over:
Nos queda un poco de ensalada – We have a little salad left
Me queda mucho por hacer – I have a lot left to do
Nos quedan 10 km para llegar al pueblo – We still have 10 km left to reach the town
The reflexive form ‘quedarse’ has a number of uses in colloquial Latin American Spanish
Quédate aquí mientras tanto – Stay here/Wait here in the meantime
Me quedo con mamá – I’m staying with Mom
Este vestido te queda muy bien – This dress suits you very well
Siga todo derecho y quédese al lado derecho – Go straight ahead and stay on the right side
‘Quedarse’ can also mean ‘to keep’
Puedes llevar todos los muebles pero yo me quedo con esta silla – You can take all the furniture but I’m keeping this chair