Portuguese Phrase
Hoje ficamos em casa.
Meaning
The sentence means ‘We stayed at home today.’ It can refer to a day spent indoors because of bad weather, a personal choice, or a health precaution.
When to use
Use this phrase when describing a day you spent inside, especially when answering questions about your plans, talking about a quiet day, or explaining why you didn’t go out.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Hojeficamosemcasa
Hoje (adverb)
An adverb of time meaning 'today'. It usually appears at the beginning of the sentence.
ficamos (verb)
First‑person plural present indicative of the verb ficar ‘to stay, to remain’. It expresses a completed action in the present context.
em (preposition)
The most common preposition for location, equivalent to English ‘in/at’.
casa (noun)
A feminine noun meaning ‘house’ or ‘home’. When used with ‘em’, it means ‘at home’.
🗨In Conversation
O que vocês fizeram hoje?
What did you all do today?
Hoje ficamos em casa.
We stayed at home today.
✕Common Mistakes
Hoje estamos em casa.
‘Estar’ describes a temporary state (we are at home now), while ‘ficar’ emphasizes the decision or action of staying.
Hoje ficar em casa.
The verb must be conjugated to match the subject; the infinitive ‘ficar’ is incorrect here.
Hoje ficamos na casa.
Use ‘em casa’ without the article; ‘na casa’ would mean ‘in the house (specific)’ and sounds odd in this context.
↔Alternatives
Hoje permanecemos em casa.
We remained at home today.
Hoje nos mantivemos em casa.
We kept ourselves at home today.
Hoje passamos o dia em casa.
We spent the day at home today.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, ‘ficar em casa’ became a common expression during the COVID‑19 pandemic, often paired with the hashtag #FiqueEmCasa. Even outside of health crises, Brazilians use it to talk about lazy days, rainy weather, or simply a preference for staying in. Remember that ‘casa’ without an article (em casa) is idiomatic for ‘at home’; adding ‘a’ (em **a** casa) sounds unnatural unless you’re referring to a specific house.