quedarse

Quedarse is a Spanish pronominal verb that generally means to stay or remain in a place or state. Formed from quedarse plus the reflexive pronoun se, it covers a range of meanings that go beyond a simple physical staying, often indicating a change of condition or a lasting result of an action.

Common uses include staying in a location (me quedé en casa), staying behind (nos quedamos atrás), or remaining in a particular state (se quedó cansado, se quedó sorprendido). It also expresses ending up with or keeping something (se quedó con mi libro), or being left without something (quedarse sin dinero). Other frequent expressions describe duration or invitation to stay for a meal (quedarse a comer) or remaining in a place for a while (quedarse a dormir). Fixed phrases include quedarse dormido (to fall asleep), quedarse quieto (to stay still) and quedarse de piedra (to be stunned).

Conjugation and usage notes: quedarse behaves like a regular -ar verb in its non‑reflexive forms (quedar) but is used reflexively with a subject: me quedo, te quedas, se queda, nos quedamos, os quedáis, se quedan. Preterite forms are quedé, quedaste, quedó, quedamos, quedasteis, quedaron; imperfect quedaba, quedabas, quedaba, etc. The reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject, and the meaning can change with combinations of prepositions (en, con, sin) or with follow-up infinitives (quedarse en, quedarse con, quedarse sin).

Etymology: queda derives from the verb quedar, with the reflexive se indicating the action reflects back on the subject. Quedarse is widely used across the Spanish-speaking world, with regional preferences for certain senses and constructions.