If you spend any time arranging plans in Spain — coffee, dinner, meetings, travel — you will hear the question ¿en qué quedamos? over and over. It means "so what have we agreed?" or "what's the plan?" It is the natural close to a conversation about scheduling, and it sits on top of one of the most useful constructions in peninsular Spanish: quedar en + infinitivo, the verb of agreement.
This page covers how the construction works, how it differs from the reflexive quedarse (to stay), how Spaniards use it to lock in plans, and the mistakes learners make when they first try it.
The core idea: agreeing to do something
Quedar en + infinitivo means to agree to do X or to arrange to do X. The agreement can be casual ("we agreed to meet at six") or formal ("we agreed to extend the contract"), but the underlying meaning is always: a verbal commitment was made, between two or more parties, to perform some future action.
Quedamos en vernos el sábado a las ocho.
We agreed to meet on Saturday at eight.
Hemos quedado en pagar a partes iguales.
We've agreed to split the bill / pay equally.
¿En qué quedamos al final?
So what did we agree in the end?
The closing question is so common in spoken peninsular Spanish that it functions almost as a fixed phrase. When the conversation has been long and indecisive, someone will eventually say ¿en qué quedamos? to force a conclusion.
The structure
- The verb quedar conjugated in any tense (most often present or perfect), matching the subject.
- The preposition en — non-negotiable.
- An infinitive — the dictionary form of any verb.
| Subject | quedar (present) |
| Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| yo | quedo | quedo en venir | I agree to come (rare alone — usually plural) |
| tú | quedas | quedas en venir | you agree to come |
| él / ella / usted | queda | queda en venir | he/she/you (formal) agrees to come |
| nosotros / nosotras | quedamos | quedamos en vernos | we agree to meet |
| vosotros / vosotras | quedáis | quedáis en veros | you (all) agree to meet each other |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | quedan | quedan en verse | they / you (formal pl.) agree to meet |
A subtlety worth noting up front: because quedar (to agree) inherently requires at least two parties, the plural forms are much more common than the singular. Quedamos en and han quedado en dominate in real usage.
Why "en" and not "a"?
English speakers reflexively reach for a (the preposition they've memorised for "to" in other periphrastic verbs like ir a hacer). With quedar, the correct preposition is en. There is no logical reason — it is simply the lexical choice the verb requires. You must memorise it.
❌ Quedamos a vernos el sábado.
Incorrect — 'quedar' requires 'en', not 'a'.
✅ Quedamos en vernos el sábado.
We agreed to meet on Saturday.
The quedar family — keep them apart
The verb quedar is a notorious overachiever in Spanish, with several distinct meanings. Don't conflate them.
- Quedar en + infinitivo — to agree to do something. (This page.) Quedamos en vernos el viernes.
- Quedar con (alguien) — to arrange to meet someone (without yet specifying what to do). He quedado con Marta esta tarde. (I'm meeting Marta this afternoon.)
- Quedar(se) — to stay, to remain. Me quedo en casa esta noche. (I'm staying in tonight.)
- Quedar (impersonal) — to be left, to remain (of a quantity). Queda un poco de pan. (There's a bit of bread left.)
- Quedar bien / mal — to come off well/badly, to look good/bad. Ese vestido te queda muy bien. (That dress looks great on you.)
The first three are the easiest to confuse. The key distinguishers:
- He quedado con Marta → I have a date / meeting with Marta. Person, no specific activity.
- He quedado en ir al cine con Marta → I've agreed to go to the cinema with Marta. Activity specified via en + infinitive.
- Me he quedado en casa con Marta → I've stayed at home with Marta. Reflexive, totally different verb meaning.
He quedado con mis amigos a las siete.
I'm meeting my friends at seven.
He quedado en ir al cine con mis amigos a las siete.
I've agreed to go to the cinema with my friends at seven.
Me he quedado en casa porque llovía.
I stayed home because it was raining.
How Spaniards use it to make plans
In real conversational practice, quedar (in its various forms) is the verb of social arrangement. A typical scheduling exchange might go:
- Oye, ¿quedamos para tomar algo el viernes? — Hey, want to meet up for a drink on Friday?
- Vale, ¿en qué quedamos? ¿A las ocho en la plaza? — Okay, what's the plan? Eight o'clock at the square?
- Sí, quedamos en eso. Hasta el viernes. — Yes, that's what we agreed. See you Friday.
Notice how quedar shifts between meanings within a single conversation. The first quedamos is "shall we meet up" (quedar con/para). The second ¿en qué quedamos? is asking for the agreement. The third quedamos en eso confirms the agreement.
¿Quedamos para comer mañana?
Want to meet for lunch tomorrow?
Hemos quedado en que tú traes el vino y yo el postre.
We've agreed that you bring the wine and I bring the dessert.
Al final quedamos en cancelarlo todo.
In the end we agreed to cancel everything.
Quedar en + clause (que + indicative)
The construction also takes a que-clause instead of an infinitive. Use en que + indicative when the subject of the agreement is different from the subject of the second verb, or when you want to be more explicit.
Quedamos en que tú llamas al restaurante.
We agreed that you'd call the restaurant.
Habíamos quedado en que veníais a las nueve.
We had agreed that you (all) would come at nine.
Note: this is one of the few constructions where en que takes the indicative, not the subjunctive — because quedar en reports an established agreement, not a wish or doubt. (Compare with insistir en que + subjunctive, where the speaker is exerting pressure: Insisten en que vayamos.)
Tenses and aspect
Present and present perfect
The most common forms are the present (quedamos en) for arrangements just made, and the present perfect (hemos quedado en) for arrangements still standing.
Quedamos en vernos a las ocho.
(Right) we agreed to meet at eight. (just decided, or summarising)
Hemos quedado en vernos a las ocho.
We've agreed to meet at eight. (the arrangement was made earlier and is still active)
Preterite
For an agreement that was made and is now a closed past event (typically because something changed, or because you're narrating).
Quedamos en cenar juntos, pero al final no pudo venir.
We agreed to have dinner together, but in the end she couldn't come.
Anoche quedamos en que tú comprabas las entradas.
Last night we agreed that you would buy the tickets.
Imperfect
For an arrangement that was in place (background) when something else happened.
Quedábamos en vernos los jueves, pero ya nadie viene.
We used to agree to meet on Thursdays, but no one comes anymore.
Pluperfect
For an arrangement made before another past event.
Habíamos quedado en pagar a medias, así que me sorprendió que invitara.
We had agreed to split the bill, so I was surprised when he insisted on paying.
When the infinitive is reflexive (vernos, veros, verse)
When the action both parties agree to is meeting each other, the verb is reflexive: verse (to see each other). The reflexive pronoun matches the subject:
- Quedamos en vernos — we agreed to see each other (nosotros)
- ¿Quedáis en veros mañana? — are you (all) agreeing to see each other tomorrow? (vosotros)
- Quedaron en verse la semana siguiente. — they agreed to see each other the following week. (ellos)
Hemos quedado en vernos en la estación.
We've agreed to meet (each other) at the station.
Quedaron en verse después del trabajo.
They agreed to meet (each other) after work.
The pronoun can also attach to the infinitive (as shown) or sit before quedar, though attached-to-infinitive is the more natural placement.
The phrase ¿en qué quedamos?
This deserves its own paragraph because it is so common. Literally "in what do we agree?", functionally "what was/is the plan?" or "what did we settle on?" Use it:
- When a conversation about plans has been long and you need closure.
- When someone has changed their position and you want to pin them down.
- When confirming a previously-discussed arrangement.
A ver, ¿en qué quedamos? ¿Vienes o no vienes?
Okay, what's it going to be? Are you coming or not?
¿En qué quedamos al final, vamos al cine o nos quedamos en casa?
So what did we agree in the end — are we going to the cinema or staying in?
A close cousin: quedar(se) en eso — "agree on that / leave it at that."
Pues quedamos en eso, hasta el sábado.
Right, that's what we've agreed — see you Saturday.
Register
Quedar en + infinitivo is register-neutral. It works in casual chats with friends, professional emails, and formal contracts. The closing phrase ¿en qué quedamos? is informal in tone, but the underlying construction is fine in any register.
(formal) Las partes han quedado en revisar el contrato antes del 15 de junio.
The parties have agreed to review the contract before 15 June.
(informal) ¿Y al final en qué habéis quedado?
And what did you (all) end up agreeing in the end?
Common Mistakes
❌ Quedamos vernos mañana.
Incorrect — the preposition 'en' is mandatory.
✅ Quedamos en vernos mañana.
We agreed to meet tomorrow.
❌ Quedamos a vernos mañana.
Incorrect — 'quedar' takes 'en', not 'a'.
✅ Quedamos en vernos mañana.
We agreed to meet tomorrow.
❌ Me he quedado en ir al cine con María.
Incorrect — this mixes 'quedarse' (to stay) with 'quedar en + infinitivo' (to agree). 'Quedar en' is not reflexive.
✅ He quedado en ir al cine con María.
I've agreed to go to the cinema with María.
❌ He quedado con ir al cine con María.
Incorrect — 'quedar con' takes a person, not an infinitive. For an activity, use 'quedar para + infinitivo' or 'quedar en + infinitivo'.
✅ He quedado con María para ir al cine.
I'm meeting María to go to the cinema.
❌ Quedamos en que vayas tú al banco.
Incorrect for the intended 'we agreed that you would go' — 'quedar en que' takes the indicative for established agreements, not the subjunctive.
✅ Quedamos en que vas tú al banco.
We agreed that you would go to the bank.
❌ ¿En qué quedais al final?
Incorrect — vosotros is 'quedáis' with an accent.
✅ ¿En qué quedáis al final?
What are you (all) going to agree on in the end?
❌ Quedamos en nos ver mañana.
Incorrect — when the verb is reflexive, the pronoun attaches to the infinitive (vernos), not before it.
✅ Quedamos en vernos mañana.
We agreed to meet (each other) tomorrow.
Key Takeaways
- Quedar en + infinitivo means to agree to do something — the verb of social arrangement in peninsular Spanish.
- The preposition en is non-negotiable. Memorise this verb as one of the "en-takers" alongside insistir en, pensar en, tardar en.
- Keep the quedar family apart: quedar en (agree), quedar con (arrange to meet a person), quedarse (to stay), quedar bien/mal (look good/bad), impersonal queda (there's X left).
- Quedar en que
- indicative is the clause version — indicative because the agreement is settled, not hypothetical.
- The closing phrase ¿en qué quedamos? is a fixed conversational tool for forcing closure on plans.
- The vosotros form is quedáis en (accent mandatory).
- When agreeing to "meet each other," use the reflexive infinitive: quedamos en vernos.
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