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Portuguese grammar

CEFR A2

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Ficar Expressions in Portuguese: ficar com, ficar sem, fica à vontade

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 11 October 2026

means to stay, and around that meaning Portuguese has built a set of everyday phrases that no dictionary entry would predict. These are the ones you will hear daily in Brazil. The verb itself, with its three core uses, is on the main ficar page.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

What does the sentence mean?

  1. O bolo ficou ótimo.

  2. Esse vestido fica bem em você.

  3. Fica para amanhã.

The whole system on one screen

ficarthe word or ending that followsWhat do the colours mean?
ExpressionMeaningExample
(thing)to keep, to take . I'll take this one.
(feeling)to get, end up . I got scared.
to run out of . I ran out of money.
to say you will . He said he'd call.
+ -ndoto keep doing . I was left waiting.
to suit . It suits you.

Every one of them is stay underneath: you stay with the thing, stay without the money, stay in the activity.

Ficar com: keep, take, or end up with

With a thing, is keeping or choosing it:

  • . - I'll take this one.
  • . - You can keep the change.

With a feeling, it is the moment you got it:

  • . - I got scared.
  • . - She got hungry.

With a person, in Brazil, it means a casual fling: a kiss at a party, no promises. It is ordinary slang, but it changes the meaning of a sentence about where you slept:

  • Ana. - I stayed at Ana's.
  • Ana. - I got together with Ana. (BR)

Ficar sem: running out

is being left without something, usually suddenly:

  • . - I ran out of money.
  • . - The car ran out of petrol.

Ficar de: saying you will

plus an infinitive reports an agreement or a promise, often one not yet kept:

  • . - He said he would call.
  • . - I said I'd drop by tomorrow.

Ficar + -ndo: kept on doing

with an -ndo form means you stayed in the activity, usually longer than you wanted:

  • . - I was left waiting for an hour.
  • . - He kept on talking all night.

EP: uses plus the infinitive instead: .

How it came out, and what suits you

With an adjective about a thing, reports how it turned out:

  • . - The cake came out great.
  • . - The photo came out beautifully.

is whether something suits you:

  • . - That dress suits you. (BR)
  • - . - That dress suits you. (EP)

Four everyday phrases

PortugueseEnglish
tranquilo.Don't worry. (Literally: stay calm.)
.Make yourself at home.
?What does it come to?
.Let's leave it until tomorrow.

? asks for the total once your shopping is on the counter; ? asks what one thing costs.

To someone you call or , use the polite command form :

  • . - Make yourself at home. (to or )

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
a Ana Ana.with a person, is a fling
o é .suiting someone takes
. takes the noun directly

What to do next

  1. Use the next time you choose anything.
  2. Say to the next guest you have.
  3. Go back to ficar for the conjugation and the vs line.

Practise: test yourself

Matching

0/5

Match each expression to its meaning.

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the right form of ficar for each gap.

At the market

Gostei desta camisa. Ela bem em mim. Eu com ela. Quanto ? Ah, não! sem dinheiro.

Gap 1 of 4

Put the words in order

0/3

Put the words in order.

  1. In a shop: I'll take this one.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. He said he would call.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. I got very scared.

    Your sentence is empty.

Pick the right one

0/3

What does the sentence mean?

  1. O bolo ficou ótimo.

  2. Esse vestido fica bem em você.

  3. Fica para amanhã.

Spot the mistake

0/2

Tap the mistake.

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Frequently asked questions

What does mean in Portuguese?
It depends on what follows. With a thing it means to keep or to take: is what you say in a shop once you have chosen. With a feeling it means to get or end up with: , I got scared. With a person, in Brazil, it means to get together casually, a kiss at a party with no promises.
What does mean?
Make yourself at home, or feel free: literally, stay at your ease. A host says it as you walk in, and a shop assistant says it to mean take your time. To someone you call or , it becomes .
What is the difference between and ?
? asks what one thing costs. ? asks what it all comes to, the total once everything is added up, so it is the natural question at the till. ? works for both and is very common.
What does mean?
plus an infinitive means to agree to or say you will do something: , he said he would call. It reports a promise, and often a promise not yet kept.
How do you say kept doing in Portuguese?
plus the -ndo form: , he kept on talking, or , I was left waiting. The tone is often impatient. In the same idea is plus the infinitive: .