was staying, used to stay, was becoming, used to become, kept (on)
Às vezes Mary ficava sentada sozinha na varanda.
Sometimes Mary would sit alone on the porch.
Eu vivia no mundo da lua, dificilmente estava em casa, ficava fora a noite toda.
I lived in a world of my own, I was hardly ever home, I would stay out all night.
— O Hospedeiro (2006)
A loja Wertheim ficava lá, também.
The Wertheim store was also located there.
— Asas do Desejo (1987)
A casa de Fadil ficava a apenas cinco minutos de distância.
Fadil's house was just five minutes away.
Tom não sabia onde ficava a biblioteca.
Tom didn't know where the library was.
Mas a senhora ficava mandando cartão postal perguntando se tava tudo bem.
But the woman kept sending postcards asking if everything was okay.
— Aquarius (2016)
Ficava dizendo que eu era o melhor amigo dela na escola.
She kept saying that I was her best friend in school.
— Grave (2017)