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Conjugation Chart

“Quedarse” (to stay) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Quedarse”

The Imperfect Tense of quedarse is used to describe an ongoing or repeated action in the past, for example, Me quedaba en casa todos los fines de semana. (I used to stay home every weekend.)

Quedarse is a regular -ar verb, so its conjugations in the Imperfect Tense follow the standard pattern for that verb type.

How to Use Quedarse in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of quedarse is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, as well as descriptions and states of being.

To stay or remain: For example, Me quedaba en casa los fines de semana. (I used to stay home on weekends.)

To be left over: For example, Después de la fiesta, nos quedaban muchas sobras. (After the party, we had a lot of leftovers.)

To keep or retain: For example, Me quedaba con el cambio después de pagar. (I kept the change after paying.)

To be left behind: For example, Mi hermano se quedaba en la escuela por las tardes. (My brother stayed behind at school in the afternoons.)

To be stuck or trapped: For example, El carro se quedó atorado en el lodo. (The car got stuck in the mud.)

To be left with a certain impression: For example, Me quedé con la impresión de que no era honesto. (I was left with the impression that he wasn’t honest.)

To be left without something (colloquial): For example, Me quedé sin dinero después de pagar la renta. (I was left broke after paying rent.)

Real Life Examples of Quedarse in the Imperfect Tense

Yo me quedaba en casa los fines de semana para descansar. (I used to stay home on weekends to rest.)

Cuando era niño, me quedaba despierto hasta tarde viendo televisión. (When I was a child, I used to stay up late watching TV.)

Mis amigos se quedaban callados cuando el profesor entraba al salón. (My friends used to stay quiet when the teacher entered the classroom.)

Ella se quedaba sin palabras cada vez que lo veía. (She used to be speechless every time she saw him.)

Después del trabajo, me quedaba un rato en el parque para relajarme. (After work, I used to stay in the park for a while to relax.)

Cuando nos quedábamos sin dinero, comíamos arroz y frijoles. (When we used to run out of money, we ate rice and beans.)

Mis padres se quedaban preocupados cuando llegaba tarde a casa. (My parents used to worry when I came home late.)

En la fiesta, me quedaba bailando hasta que cerraban el lugar. (At the party, I used to keep dancing until they closed the place.)

Aunque se quedaba sin trabajo, nunca perdía la esperanza. (Even though he used to be unemployed, he never lost hope.)

Cuando nos quedábamos solos en casa, veíamos películas de terror. (When we used to be alone at home, we watched horror movies.)

Ella se quedaba dormida en el sofá después de trabajar todo el día. (She used to fall asleep on the couch after working all day.)

Mis abuelos se quedaban en la casa de campo durante el verano. (My grandparents used to stay at the country house during the summer.)

Cuando me quedaba sin gasolina, caminaba hasta la estación más cercana. (When I used to run out of gas, I walked to the nearest gas station.)

Aunque se quedaba sin dinero, siempre encontraba la manera de divertirse. (Even though he used to be broke, he always found a way to have fun.)

En la universidad, me quedaba estudiando hasta tarde en la biblioteca. (In college, I used to study late at the library.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Quedarse (to stay) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.