Quedarse Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb quedarse means to stay, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Quedarse means to stay or to remain, and it is used for staying at home, staying in a hotel and staying with family. It is reflexive, and it also appears in quedarse dormido, to fall asleep, and quedarse sin, to run out of something. Like every Spanish verb, quedarse changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say me quedo en casa el fin de semana, and in the preterite you say me quedé con la familia en Navidad. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: quedarse
  • English: to stay
  • Verb type: regular -ar verb, reflexive
  • Ending: -ar
  • Gerund: quedando
  • Past participle: quedado
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + quedado)
  • Reflexive pronouns: me, te, se, nos, os, se — one before every conjugated form, matching the person.

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for quedarse, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Quedarse is reflexive: me quedo en casa. Quedar without the pronoun means something else, such as to be left.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for quedarse. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quedo
tú te quedas
él/ella/Ud. se queda
nosotros/as nos quedamos
vosotros/as os quedáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quedan

Preterite

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quedé
tú te quedaste
él/ella/Ud. se quedó
nosotros/as nos quedamos
vosotros/as os quedasteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quedaron

Imperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quedaba
tú te quedabas
él/ella/Ud. se quedaba
nosotros/as nos quedábamos
vosotros/as os quedabais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quedaban

Future

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quedaré
tú te quedarás
él/ella/Ud. se quedará
nosotros/as nos quedaremos
vosotros/as os quedaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quedarán

Conditional

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quedaría
tú te quedarías
él/ella/Ud. se quedaría
nosotros/as nos quedaríamos
vosotros/as os quedaríais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quedarían

Present perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me he quedado
tú te has quedado
él/ella/Ud. se ha quedado
nosotros/as nos hemos quedado
vosotros/as os habéis quedado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se han quedado

Pluperfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me había quedado
tú te habías quedado
él/ella/Ud. se había quedado
nosotros/as nos habíamos quedado
vosotros/as os habíais quedado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habían quedado

Future perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habré quedado
tú te habrás quedado
él/ella/Ud. se habrá quedado
nosotros/as nos habremos quedado
vosotros/as os habréis quedado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrán quedado

Conditional perfect

Person Pronoun Form
yo me habría quedado
tú te habrías quedado
él/ella/Ud. se habría quedado
nosotros/as nos habríamos quedado
vosotros/as os habríais quedado
ellos/ellas/Uds. se habrían quedado

Present subjunctive

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quede
tú te quedes
él/ella/Ud. se quede
nosotros/as nos quedemos
vosotros/as os quedéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se queden

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Pronoun Form
yo me quedara
tú te quedaras
él/ella/Ud. se quedara
nosotros/as nos quedáramos
vosotros/as os quedarais
ellos/ellas/Uds. se quedaran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te queda
él/ella/Ud. se quede
nosotros/as nos quedemos
vosotros/as os quedad
ellos/ellas/Uds. se queden

Imperative (negative)

Person Pronoun Form
tú te quedes
él/ella/Ud. se quede
nosotros/as nos quedemos
vosotros/as os quedéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. se queden

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund quedando with estar for the progressive: estoy quedando (or me estoy quedando for this reflexive verb)
Past participle quedado with haber for the perfect tenses: he quedado

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Me quedo en casa el fin de semana. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, me quedé en el hotel dos noches. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, me quedaba con la familia en Navidad. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, me quedaré dormido en el sofá. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Me quedaría en casa el fin de semana si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, me he quedado en el hotel dos noches. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me había quedado con la familia en Navidad antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, me habré quedado dormido en el sofá. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Me habría quedado en casa el fin de semana con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él se quede en el hotel dos noches. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él se quedara con la familia en Navidad, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: Que se quede dormido en el sofá. Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For quedarse, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No te quedes en casa el fin de semana. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with quedarse, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Me quedo en casa el fin de semana. — I stay at home at the weekend.
  2. Se queda en el hotel dos noches. — He/she stays in the hotel for two nights.
  3. Ayer, me quedé con la familia en Navidad. — Yesterday, I stayed with the family at Christmas.
  4. Antes, nosotros nos quedábamos dormido en el sofá. — Before, we used to stay asleep on the sofa.
  5. Mañana, tú te quedarás en casa el fin de semana. — Tomorrow, you will stay at home at the weekend.
  6. Yo me quedaría en el hotel dos noches si tuviera más tiempo. — I would stay in the hotel for two nights if I had more time.
  7. Él se ha quedado con la familia en Navidad. — He has stayed with the family at Christmas.
  8. Espero que él se quede dormido en el sofá. — I hope he stays asleep on the sofa.
  9. Yo ya me había quedado en casa el fin de semana antes de salir. — I had already stayed at home at the weekend before leaving.
  10. Ellos se quedaban en el hotel dos noches cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to stay in the hotel for two nights when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo quedo en casa el fin de semana. — Right: Yo me quedo en casa el fin de semana. — Quedarse is reflexive, so the pronoun me is required: without it the verb means something else, or nothing at all.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo quedo en el hotel dos noches. — Right: Ayer yo quedé en el hotel dos noches. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: quedo is happening now, while quedé is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating quedarse and quedar as identical in every context. — Right: Quedarse means to stay, while quedar means to be left over, or to arrange to meet. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: quedarse fits sentences such as Me quedo en casa el fin de semana, while quedar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy quedado en el hotel dos noches. — Right: Yo he quedado en el hotel dos noches. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he quedado, has quedado, ha quedado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo quedé con la familia en Navidad todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo quedaba con la familia en Navidad todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (quedaba), not the preterite. The preterite (quedé) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on quedarse. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en casa el fin de semana. (present tense) A. me quedo B. te quedas C. se queda D. nos quedamos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ en el hotel dos noches. (preterite) A. me quedé B. te quedaste C. se quedaron D. se quedó

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ con la familia en Navidad. (imperfect) A. te quedabas B. se quedaban C. nos quedábamos D. me quedaba

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ dormido en el sofá. (future) A. nos quedaremos B. te quedarás C. me quedaré D. se quedará

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ en casa el fin de semana si pudiera. (conditional) A. me quedaría B. te quedarías C. se quedaría D. se quedarían

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ en el hotel dos noches. (present subjunctive) A. me quede B. te quedes C. nos quedemos D. se quede

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ con la familia en Navidad, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. se quedara B. nos quedáramos C. me quedara D. te quedaras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ dormido en el sofá. (present perfect) A. se han quedado B. nos hemos quedado C. me he quedado D. te has quedado

  9. Complete the command: No ___ en casa el fin de semana. (negative imperative, tú) A. te quedes B. se quede C. nos quedemos D. os quedéis

  10. Which is the gerund of quedarse, used with estar for the progressive? A. quedado B. quedo C. quedé D. quedando

Answer key

  1. me quedo — The first-person present of quedarse is me quedo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. se quedó — The third-person preterite of quedarse is se quedó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. nos quedábamos — The nosotros imperfect of quedarse is nos quedábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. te quedarás — The second-person future of quedarse is te quedarás.
  5. me quedaría — The first-person conditional of quedarse is me quedaría, the form for what would happen.
  6. se quede — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of quedarse is se quede.
  7. me quedara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of quedarse is me quedara.
  8. nos hemos quedado — The nosotros present perfect of quedarse is nos hemos quedado: hemos + quedado.
  9. te quedes — The negative tú imperative uses the present subjunctive form with no before it: te quedes.
  10. quedando — The gerund of quedarse is quedando: estoy quedando. The participle quedado is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does quedarse mean in English?

Quedarse means to stay. It is used in everyday situations such as Me quedo en casa el fin de semana. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is quedarse a reflexive verb?

Yes. Quedarse is reflexive, so it always takes a reflexive pronoun that matches the person: me, te, se, nos, os or se. For example, Me quedo en casa el fin de semana and él se queda en el hotel dos noches. If you leave the pronoun out, the verb changes meaning or stops making sense.

What is the difference between quedarse and quedar?

Quedarse means to stay, while quedar means to be left over, or to arrange to meet. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use quedarse when you mean to stay, as in Me quedo en casa el fin de semana, and use quedar for to be left over, or to arrange to meet. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I stay” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo me quedé en el hotel dos noches. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo me quedaba con la familia en Navidad. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo me he quedado en el hotel dos noches.

How do I practise quedarse?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the quedarse examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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