Ficar doesn’t just mean ‘to stay’ it can be used in many creative ways.
Ficar can also mean to become, to look good/bad, to be…
These multiple uses make it an essential verb to learn!
Ficar – to stay
eu fico – I stay
tu ficas – you stay
ele fica – he stays
nós ficamos – we stay
eles ficam – they stay
Let’s see it in a sentence, or three.
Eu fico aqui e tu ficas aí – I stay here and you stay there.
Ela fica num hotel – she stays (is staying) in a hotel.
Eles ficam em casa – they stay at home.
To be
Technically it can mean to stay or to lie, but here it translates as ‘to be’
O banco fica na Avenida – the bank is on the Avenue.
A minha casa fica no fundo da rua – my house is at the end of the road
Fica lá em baixo – it’s down there.
Onde fica a casa de banho, por favor? – where is the bathroom please?
To become
To become or to get. For example, to get ill, to get tired.
Ele fica doente quando come chocolates – he gets sick when he eats chocolates.
Fico triste quando chove – I get sad when it rains.
Ficamos cansados se andamos muito – we get tired if we walk a lot.
Ela ficou contente quando recebeu a prenda – she became happy when she received the present.
In English we might just say – ‘she was happy when she received the present’ – the Portuguese way shows a transformation from one state to another!)
To belong
A place for everything and everything in its place. To have a place, to belong or go somewhere.
A chave fica na porta – the key stays/belongs in the door.
Estes livros ficam naquela estante – these books go on that bookshelf.
Essa mesa não fica aí – that table doesn’t go there.
A almofada fica em cima do sofá – the cushion goes on the sofá (it belongs there)
To look (good or bad)
Esse vestido fica-te bem – that looks good on you (suits you – Informal)(tu familiar)
Essa blusa fica-lhe bem – that blouse suits you (formal)(você – informal)
A cozinha fica muito bem assim – the kitchen looks really good like this
Esta planta não fica bem aqui – this plant doesn’t look good here
To turn out (well, or not)
O quadro ficou bem – the painting turned out well (in the end)
A sopa não ficou muito bem, não pus sal – the soup didn’t turn out well, I didn’t put salt.
To keep
A Paula ficou com a minha mala – Paula kept my bag
Pode ficar com isso, eu já não quero – you can keep that, I no longer want it.
I hope you enjoyed this short lesson. If you are having difficulty with portuguese verbs, you might like to join our workshop
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