What does ‘quedar’ (‘¿quedamos?’) mean in Spain?
In Spain, quedar most often means “to meet up” or “to arrange to meet”: ¿Quedamos? means “Shall we meet up?” and He quedado con Ana means “I’m meeting Ana”. The same verb also means “to be left” and “to suit”, so context tells you which sense is meant.
What quedar means
To meet up, arrange to meet Neutral
The everyday plan-making verb in Spain: quedar con alguien is “to meet someone”, and ¿Quedamos? is “Shall we meet?”. Ask ¿A qué hora quedamos? (“What time shall we meet?”) or ¿Dónde quedamos? (“Where shall we meet?”).
To agree on something Neutral
With en, quedar means to agree: Quedamos en vernos el lunes (“We agreed to meet on Monday”).
To be left Neutral
It also says what remains: No queda leche (“There’s no milk left”), Me quedan tres euros (“I’ve got three euros left”).
To suit, to look (on someone) Neutral
With clothes and bien, mal or genial: Esa chaqueta te queda genial (“That jacket looks great on you”).
Quedarse: to stay Neutral
The reflexive form means to stay or remain: Hoy me quedo en casa (“I’m staying at home today”).
Where and when you will hear it
These meanings exist across the Spanish-speaking world, but quedar for meeting up is a daily staple in Spain: it is how friends, couples and colleagues make plans, in person and on WhatsApp.
In much of Latin America, people often say verse or juntarse when they talk about meeting up, although quedar is widely understood.
Examples from everyday Spain Spanish
- ¿Quedamos mañana para tomar algo?Shall we meet up tomorrow for a drink?
- He quedado con Laura a las seis en la plaza.I’m meeting Laura at six in the square.
- ¿A qué hora habíamos quedado?What time did we say we’d meet?
- Quedamos en hablarlo el lunes.We agreed to talk about it on Monday.
- No queda pan, ¿bajas tú a comprar?There’s no bread left. Can you pop out and buy some?
How to say it
keh-DAR, stress on the last syllable. The qu is a plain k (the u is silent), and the d between vowels is soft, like the th in “this”. ¿Quedamos? is keh-DAH-mos, with a rising tone at the end.
Dictionary sources
- Real Academia Española & ASALE, Diccionario de la lengua española — quedar — Includes the senses “to arrange a meeting” (Quedamos a las diez) and “to agree on something”.