A2 (Elementary)Lesson 9: Basic Clause Patterns & Everyday Usage
Ficar does jobs that English hands to four different verbs: where a place is, staying somewhere, becoming something, and how clothes look on you. This point separates the senses and settles the ser / estar / ficar question for locations.
Where a fixed place is: ficar is common in directions, but ser and estar can also express location. O banco fica na esquina. (The bank is on the corner.)
To stay, to remain: Vou ficar em Salvador até quinta. (I'm going to stay in Salvador until Thursday.)
To become, with an adjective: Ela ficou brava. (She got angry.) Fiquei doente. (I got sick.)
ficar com + state noun for feelings that come over you: Fiquei com fome. (I got hungry.) Fiquei com medo. (I got scared.)
ficar com + a thing = to keep it: Pode ficar com o troco. (Keep the change.)
ficar bem em alguém = to suit someone: Essa camisa fica bem em você. (That shirt looks good on you.)
ficar com alguém can describe a casual romantic involvement or keeping someone company. Eles ficaram na festa. can mean they got together at the party or that they stayed there.
ficar em/na/no + lugar (be located; stay) · ficar + adjetivo (become; remain in a state) · ficar com + substantivo (a state comes over you; keep something) · ficar bem em alguém (suit someone) · ficar com alguém (stay with someone; a casual romantic involvement, depending on context)
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Ask a Brazilian where the pharmacy is and the answer comes back with fica — Fica ali, depois do semáforo. (It's over there, past the traffic light.) A learner who only has ser and estar hears a verb they think means "to stay" and loses the sentence. The becoming sense is just as unavoidable: fiquei com fome (I got hungry) and ela ficou brava (she got angry) emphasize a change of state in these examples. And when you pay for something, pode ficar com o troco (keep the change) is the line you need. Knowing its different uses helps you follow conversations about places, moods and money.
Ficar is a regular -ar verb with one spelling adjustment: the c becomes qu before an e, so the sound stays hard.
| Form | Present | Past (pretérito perfeito) |
|---|---|---|
| eu | fico | fiquei |
| você / ele, ela | fica | ficou |
| nós | ficamos | ficamos |
| vocês / eles, elas | ficam | ficaram |
So eu fico is "I stay" or "I get" or "I am located", and ela ficou is "she stayed" or "she got" — the meaning depends on the construction and the context. That is what the rest of this point is about.
| Portuguese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Onde fica a rodoviária? | Where's the bus station? |
| O mercado fica a duas quadras daqui. | The market is two blocks from here. |
| Fiquei no escritório até as nove. | I stayed at the office until nine. |
| Vamos ficar mais um pouco? | Shall we stay a bit longer? |
| Ela ficou nervosa antes da entrevista. | She got nervous before the interview. |
| Fiquei com sono na reunião. | I got sleepy in the meeting. |
| Ficamos sem internet a tarde toda. | We had no internet all afternoon. |
| Esses óculos ficam bem em você. | Those glasses look good on you. |
| Você pode ficar com o meu lugar. | You can have my seat. |
| O bolo ficou ótimo! | The cake turned out great! |
Treating ficar as the only verb for an address. O banco está na esquina is not automatically wrong. O banco fica na esquina. (The bank is on the corner.) is a common directions pattern; ser and estar can also express location.
Dropping com before the state nouns in this pattern. Fiquei fome is wrong — it is Fiquei com fome. (I got hungry.) Fome (hunger), medo (fear), sono (sleepiness) and raiva (anger) take com in this construction. This is not a rule for every noun used with ficar.
Assuming ficar com someone is always romantic. Fiquei com ela ontem can mean a romantic involvement or simply staying with her. To specify her home, say Fiquei na casa dela. (I stayed at her place.) That sentence does not establish whether you slept there.
Treating one ficar bem pattern as the only possibility. Learn Essa cor fica bem em você. (That color looks good on you.) with em. Other constructions exist, including pronouns.
Forgetting the qu in the past. eu ficei is wrong; it is eu fiquei (I stayed, I got). The c turns into qu before that -ei ending.
Confusing present and past, or treating every use of ficar as a change. Ela fica alta is present tense and can describe becoming or looking tall in context. For a usual characteristic, use Ela é alta. (She is tall.) Ficar also expresses location or remaining somewhere or in a state.
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