ficar: stay, be located, become
ficar is one of the most useful Portuguese verbs. It means to stay, to be located (for fixed places), to become (with feelings and states) and, with com, to keep or take.
| meaning | Portuguese | English |
|---|---|---|
| stay | Fico em casa hoje. | I’m staying at home today. |
| be located | Onde fica o museu? | Where is the museum? |
| become, get | Ela ficou triste. | She got sad. |
| keep, take | Fique com o troco. | Keep the change. |
| suit, look | Esse vestido fica bem em você. | That dress suits you. |
| agree to, promise | Ele ficou de ligar. | He said he would call. |
Points to know
- Past forms: fiquei, ficou, ficamos, ficaram (c → qu before e).
- ficar + adjective describes a change of state: fiquei nervoso (I got nervous), ficou pronto (it got ready).
- ficar + gerund (Brazil) or ficar a + infinitive (Portugal) means “keep doing”: Fiquei esperando uma hora.
- For buildings, cities and countries ficar is the natural verb of location: Lisboa fica em Portugal.
Examples
- Ficamos num hotel perto da praia.We stayed in a hotel near the beach.
- A farmácia fica na esquina.The pharmacy is on the corner.
- Fiquei muito feliz com a notícia.I was very happy about the news.
- Vou ficar com a camisa azul.I’ll take the blue shirt.
- Ele ficou dez minutos esperando o ônibus.He waited ten minutes for the bus.
Common mistakes
- ✗ Ele tornou triste.✓ Ele ficou triste.English “he became sad” suggests tornar, but a change of mood is ficar + adjective; tornar would also need se.
- ✗ Fique o troco.✓ Fique com o troco.In the sense of “keep”, ficar needs com; without it the sentence means “stay the change”.
- ✗ Hoje vou ficar na casa.✓ Hoje vou ficar em casa.“Stay at home” is ficar em casa, without the article; na casa means “in the house” of someone or a specific house.
- ✗ Eu ficei em casa ontem.✓ Eu fiquei em casa ontem.Before e, c becomes qu to keep the hard sound, so the past is fiquei; English spelling gives no warning of this change.
- ✗ Ele ficou para ligar, mas não ligou.✓ Ele ficou de ligar, mas não ligou.“To agree or promise to do something” is ficar de + infinitive; para would mean that he stayed in order to call.