Portuguese: Ficar (Questions About Your Target Languages) Language Learning Forum

Portuguese: Ficar
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Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages

meus azuis
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Message 1 of 4

06 September 2009 at 5:39am | IP Logged

I have questions about the verb ficar.

I remember hearing somewhere that ficar can refer to a relationship between a girl and boy. For example,
Roberta esta ficando com Robert. Eles estao ficando.
Is this correct??

Also, Can I also use ficar to mean 'just hanging around' ?
For example, if someone asks 'what you're up to?' and I want to say 'nothing, just hanging around' can I say Nada, so ficando or So estou ficando??
For some reason I find this very natural to say, but I don't know if it's correct!

Thanks!
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Luís_RJ
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Message 2 of 4

07 September 2009 at 1:56am | IP Logged

Roberta está ficando com Robert. Eles estão ficando. (when they are dating, you use the verb "ficar". "Eles estão ficando" but "They aren't in a relationship" because they don't have to be loyal to each other, and we know a relationship means loyalty)

Also, Can I also use ficar to mean 'just hanging around' ?
For example, if someone asks 'what you're up to?' and I want to say 'nothing, just hanging around' can I say Nada, so ficando or So estou ficando??
For some reason I find this very natural to say, but I don't know if it's correct!

(It doesn't make sense. I would think, "ficando em que lugar ?". You'd rather use other sentences but not "so ficando".

for instance:

Ultimamente ? Nada.
Nada.
O mesmo de sempre.

of course, you can also be honest and answer at least one actual event that you've been working on, and I think it could be the best choice or people could think of you as an impolite person or a tramp.)

Edited by Luís_RJ on 07 September 2009 at 1:58am
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meus azuis
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Message 3 of 4

07 September 2009 at 7:42pm | IP Logged

Thanks. That was a great explanation.
It's not something I would want to use alone. It would be a precursor to something else, so hopefully it wouldn't sound rude...

For example,

Nada. Ficando em casa. E você? Onde está?
or
O mesmo de sempre. Vamos fazer alguma coisa?
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Luís_RJ
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Message 4 of 4

08 September 2009 at 7:22pm | IP Logged

meus azuis wrote:

In these two sentences above, you would be perfectly understood, but you can make it sound much better and shorter.

Nada. Só em casa. E você ?
O mesmo de sempre. Vamos fazer alguma coisa (hoje ou amanhã)?

It seems that you have difficulty with progressive form(in portuguese). I'll try to give you some tips, although my knowledge of the English grammar is reasonable. (Feel free to correct me if you want)

In English, you usually use progressive form to say about things you're doing right now or during a short period of time, such as "I am studying hard this week" or "Be quiet, I am trying to study (right now)".

it sounds unnecessary to use progressive form(in portuguese) when you do something on a daily basis. "Eu estou em casa"(I am at home), but not "eu estou ficando em casa"(I am staying at home).

"I'm going to stay at home this week", but "Eu vou ficar em casa essa semana".

So, in some situations(above) you can correlate English with portuguese.

I don't want to make you confused, but yes, there are some exceptions that change the situation and make some structures very common in the portuguese language: "Eu estou ficando mais em casa mesmo", "Eu estou só em casa mesmo", "Eu estou só ficando em casa mesmo". Both of the three sentences are interchangeable.

See the differences:

Where are you ?
Eu estou em casa. (I am at home)

What are you doing ? Have you been hanging out with your friends lately ?
Não, eu estou ficando mais em casa mesmo/Não, eu estou só em casa mesmo//Não, eu estou só ficando em casa mesmo.

MAIS and MESMO can emphasize what you want to say, like "even". He/she asked me if I'm hanging out with my friends. I want to let it clear that I've been at home lately rather than hang out with my friends.

Let's look at some more examples:

Eu tenho ficado mais em casa mesmo. (it's also possible and I use it so much, but even being a brazilian native speaker, I would have some difficulties to exactly explain the practical difference between it and "eu estou ficando mais em casa mesmo") I also recommend you to take a look at "Gerundismo".

As you're studying Brazilian Portuguese, you shouldn't worry too much about tenses the same way I wouldn't worry that much while studying American English instead of British English(Unless you want to write much better than many brazilians(informal, formal, literary, advertising, news report and so on), which can take more time to master than reading, listening and speaking). Anyway, It's nice to study everything, but go slowly and you'll reach the highest point.

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