Querer (to Want) in Spanish

In Brief

Querer usually means “to want.” In the present tense, its e changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros: quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren. Put a noun after it for the thing wanted (Quiero agua) or an infinitive for the desired action (Quiero descansar); with a person, querer can mean “to love” or “to care about.”

Overview

Querer is one of the most useful Spanish verbs. It lets you express wants, make plans, offer something to another person, and talk about affection. You will hear it in cafés, shops, invitations, family conversations, and everyday questions such as ¿Quieres venir? (“Do you want to come?”).

This is an A1 verb, but it is not completely regular. It belongs to the -er verb family, yet its stem (the part before the ending) changes from quer- to quier- in several present-tense forms. The endings themselves are the normal present endings for an -er verb.

English speakers should also notice two differences. Spanish often leaves out the subject pronoun because the verb form already identifies the subject: Quiero café normally means “I want coffee,” without yo. In addition, English “want someone to do something” cannot be copied word for word; Spanish usually uses querer que plus the subjunctive for that later pattern.

How It Works

Present-tense forms

The present tense describes what someone wants now or generally. The change e → ie happens when the stem is stressed. It does not happen in nosotros or vosotros, where the stress falls on the ending.

Person	Subject pronoun	Form	Basic meaning
First-person singular	yo	quiero	I want
Second-person singular	tú	quieres	you want (informal singular)
Third-person singular	él / ella / usted	quiere	he/she wants; you want (formal singular)
First-person plural	nosotros/as	queremos	we want
Second-person plural	vosotros/as	queréis	you all want (informal, mainly Spain)
Third-person plural	ellos / ellas / ustedes	quieren	they want; you all want

A useful visual pattern is:

• quier- + o, es, e, en: quiero, quieres, quiere, quieren
• quer- + emos, éis: queremos, queréis

The accent mark in queréis is required. In most of Latin America, ustedes quieren is the usual plural “you” form in both everyday and formal situations. In Spain, vosotros queréis is usual for informal plural address, while ustedes quieren is formal.

Querer + a noun

Use querer + noun when the object of the desire is a thing, food, drink, or idea. A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea.

• Quiero un café. — “I want a coffee.”
• Queremos más tiempo. — “We want more time.”
• ¿Quieres azúcar? — “Do you want sugar?”

Spanish often uses an article such as un, una, el, or la, but not always. The choice depends on whether you mean a countable item or an unspecified amount: un café is one coffee, while agua is simply water.

With a specific person as the direct object (the person directly affected by the verb), Spanish normally uses the personal a:

• Quiero a mi familia. — “I love my family.”
• Quiere mucho a Ana. — “He/She loves Ana very much.”

Here querer is usually about affection rather than wanting to possess someone.

Querer + infinitive

Use querer + infinitive when the same person wants to perform another action. The infinitive is the unchanged dictionary form of a verb, such as comer, salir, or dormir.

conjugated querer + infinitive

• Quiero comer. — “I want to eat.”
• Queremos salir. — “We want to go out.”
• ¿Quieres aprender español? — “Do you want to learn Spanish?”

Only querer changes to match the subject. The second verb stays in the infinitive. Do not conjugate both verbs: Quiero descanso may mean “I want rest,” but “I want to rest” is Quiero descansar.

No preposition is needed between the two verbs. English also uses an infinitive with “to,” but Spanish does not insert a or de: say quiero viajar, not quiero a viajar.

Questions and negatives

To make a yes/no question, Spanish can keep the same word order and use question intonation and written question marks:

• ¿Quieres venir? — “Do you want to come?”
• ¿Ustedes quieren algo más? — “Do you want anything else?”

There is no equivalent of English auxiliary “do.” For a negative, put no directly before the conjugated verb:

• No quiero salir. — “I do not want to go out.”
• No queremos postre. — “We do not want dessert.”

Spanish subject pronouns are often omitted. Use them when the identity is unclear or when you want contrast: Yo quiero té, pero ella quiere café (“I want tea, but she wants coffee”).

Querer for affection

With a person, querer commonly means “to love,” “to care for,” or “to be fond of.” Object pronouns—short words that stand for the person receiving the affection—come before the conjugated verb:

• Te quiero. — “I love you.”
• La quiero mucho. — “I love her very much.”
• Los queremos. — “We love them.”

Te quiero is warm and natural among partners, relatives, and close friends. It does not literally mean that you “want” the person in this context.

Examples in Context

Spanish	English	Note
Quiero un café.	I want a coffee.	Querer + noun
¿Quieres venir?	Do you want to come?	Informal singular question
Te quiero.	I love you.	Affection toward one familiar person
Queremos ir al cine.	We want to go to the cinema.	Nosotros keeps e, not ie
Ella quiere aprender español.	She wants to learn Spanish.	Same subject performs both actions
¿Quiere usted algo más?	Would you like anything else?	Formal singular; common in service situations
Mis amigos quieren viajar en verano.	My friends want to travel in the summer.	Third-person plural
No quiero salir esta noche.	I do not want to go out tonight.	No comes before quiero
Yo quiero té, pero Marta quiere café.	I want tea, but Marta wants coffee.	Pronoun adds contrast
¿Queréis cenar aquí?	Do you all want to have dinner here?	Informal plural, mainly Spain
¿Ustedes quieren pagar con tarjeta?	Do you want to pay by card?	Plural “you,” especially in Latin America
Quiero mucho a mis abuelos.	I love my grandparents very much.	Personal a before people
Mi hijo no quiere verduras.	My son does not want vegetables.	A noun as the wanted thing
Quiero que llegues temprano.	I want you to arrive early.	Different subjects; advanced querer que pattern

Common Mistakes

Keeping the stem unchanged everywhere

• Wrong: Yo quero agua.
• Right: Yo quiero agua.
• Why: The present first-person singular has the stem change e → ie. The spelling is quiero.

Changing the stem in nosotros or vosotros

• Wrong: Nosotros quieremos descansar.
• Right: Nosotros queremos descansar.
• Why: Nosotros and vosotros do not have the stem change: queremos, queréis.

Conjugating the second verb

• Wrong: Quiero como ahora.
• Right: Quiero comer ahora.
• Why: When one person wants to do an action, use a conjugated form of querer followed by an infinitive.

Adding a preposition before the infinitive

• Wrong: Queremos a visitar Madrid.
• Right: Queremos visitar Madrid.
• Why: Querer connects directly to the infinitive. English “to” is part of the English infinitive translation; it is not translated as Spanish a here.

Using an infinitive when the subjects differ

• Wrong: Quiero tú venir conmigo.
• Right: Quiero que vengas conmigo.
• Why: If one person wants another person to act, Spanish uses que and normally the subjunctive (a verb form used for wishes, reactions, and other non-asserted situations). This is a later-level pattern; at A1, simply learn it as a useful fixed model.

Translating te quiero only as “I want you”

• Misleading: Te quiero = “I want you.”
• Usually right: Te quiero = “I love you” or “I care about you.”
• Why: In ordinary relationships and family contexts, querer a alguien expresses affection. Context determines the strength and nuance.

Usage Notes

“I want” and politeness

Grammatically, Quiero un café is correct and common. Tone and setting matter, however. In a café, English speakers may expect “I’d like,” while Spanish speakers often soften the request with a greeting, por favor, a question, or another verb:

• Hola, quiero un café, por favor. — “Hello, I’d like a coffee, please.”
• ¿Me pone un café, por favor? — “Could I have a coffee, please?” (especially Spain)
• Quisiera un café, por favor. — “I would like a coffee, please.”

This does not make quiero inherently rude. A bare command-like tone can sound abrupt, but the full interaction—greeting, voice, and por favor—does much of the politeness work.

Offers and invitations

¿Quieres…? is a direct, friendly way to offer something or invite someone:

• ¿Quieres café? — “Would you like coffee?”
• ¿Quieres bailar? — “Do you want to dance?”

English often uses “Would you like…?” where everyday Spanish naturally uses the present tense of querer.

Querer, gustar, and necesitar

These verbs are not interchangeable:

Spanish	Core idea	Example
querer	to want; to love/care for	Quiero este libro. — I want this book.
gustar	to like; to be pleasing to	Me gusta este libro. — I like this book.
necesitar	to need	Necesito este libro. — I need this book.

Wanting something does not necessarily mean liking it or needing it. Also, gustar uses a different sentence pattern, so do not use me quiero when you mean “I like it.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following patterns at A1, but they explain forms you will meet later.

Querer que + subjunctive

When the person who wants and the person who acts are different, use:

person 1 + querer que + person 2 + subjunctive

• Quiero que me llames. — “I want you to call me.”
• Queremos que los niños duerman. — “We want the children to sleep.”

Compare Quiero salir (“I want to leave,” one subject) with Quiero que salgas (“I want you to leave,” two subjects). The subjunctive is a set of verb forms often used after wishes and influence; it deserves separate study rather than being treated as another present-tense ending.

Te quiero and te amo

Both te quiero and te amo can mean “I love you.” Te quiero is extremely common and can express romantic, family, or close personal affection. Te amo often sounds more intense, solemn, or explicitly romantic, though preferences vary by country, family, and individual. There is no universal numerical scale of love between the two expressions, so learn how the people around you use them.

Past meanings and softened requests

Later, tense choice adds important shades of meaning:

• Quería hablar contigo. — “I wanted to talk to you.” The imperfect can describe an ongoing past wish and can also soften a present approach.
• Quise llamarte. — “I wanted/tried to call you.” In context, the preterite can present the wish or attempt as a completed event.
• No quiso venir. — “He/She refused to come” or “did not want to come.” In a completed past event, negative querer often suggests refusal.
• Quisiera reservar una mesa. — “I would like to reserve a table.” Quisiera is a conventional polite form.
• Querría hacer una pregunta. — “I would like to ask a question.” The conditional querría can also soften a request.

These translations depend on context. In particular, do not assume that every past form of querer means “tried”; that interpretation arises in suitable completed-event contexts.

Fixed and extended expressions

You may also encounter:

• querer decir — “to mean” or “to intend to say”: ¿Qué quiere decir esta palabra? (“What does this word mean?”)
• sin querer — “accidentally,” literally “without meaning to”: Lo hice sin querer. (“I did it accidentally.”)
• como quieras — “as you wish” or “whatever you prefer”
• quiera o no — “whether he/she likes it or not”

Some of these contain later-level verb forms. At first, treat the whole expression as a chunk and return to its grammar when you study the subjunctive.

Practice Tips

1. Learn the present tense as two families. Say quiero, quieres, quiere, quieren together, then queremos, queréis. This makes the “boot-shaped” stem-change pattern easier to remember.
2. Build three sentence types. Each day, make one sentence with a noun (Quiero té), one with an infinitive (Quiero leer), and one negative sentence (No quiero cocinar). Change the subject so that you practise every form.
3. Listen for meaning, not just translation. When you hear querer, decide whether it expresses a desire, an invitation, affection, or a polite request. Pay special attention to ¿Quieres…? and te quiero in real conversations.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Regular -ER Verbs — provides the present-tense endings used by querer, before its stem change is added.