Quedar in Pimsler

Question

I came across a phrase in my Pimsler tapes that uses the verb "quedar" to mean "to be located". One of the phraes is "¿Dónde queda? - Where is it located?" and "¿Queda lejos de aquí? - Is it located far from here?

When I looked at the definition of quedar, it doesn't mention "to be located" as one of the translations.

Is this an uncommon use for quedar?

Is there a better way to say these phrases in Spanish?

Thanks Mike

Answer 1

HI MIke, welcome to the forum

No, the use is perfect and very common in Spain at least.

I knew a GURU would be along soon to answer this!! :) - Jason7R, Nov 4, 2009

Answer 2

Do you know, I was intending to post a question about "quedar" a while back? It seems to be much more commonly used than 'stay' or 'remain' in English and I often feel I would never have thought of using it in some of the contexts I have seen, though I can usually make sense of it.

I suspect it has a broader intuitive meaning in Spanish that is difficult to translate accurately out of context.

Answer 3

Weird. I've heard it used two ways: 1. To remain. 2. To fit.

Answer 4

Quedar - to stay/to remain

So "¿Dónde queda?" translates to "Where does it stay?" This makes sense, odd wording for English but you would understand it. Same with your other example, "¿Queda lejos de aquí?" or "Does it remain far from here?"

I have found there are quite a few words in Spanish that do this. I think it just takes some getting used to.

Answer 5

This is interesting. I can't say I know what the answer is because I have always seen quedar used for the english equivalent of "to stay" or "to remain". I hope a native speaker will answer this question for you.