Verb · irregular
querer
to want, to love
The thing that catches people out
quisiera is a separate form that works as a fixed polite would like. Use it in a restaurant and quiero at a counter, and nobody will ever correct you.
Present
What happens, and what is happening now.
| yo | quiero | |
| tú | quieres | |
| él, ella, usted | quiere | |
| nosotros | queremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | quieren | |
| vosotros, Spain only | queréis |
Preterite, the finished past
Something that happened and is over: yesterday, last year, once.
| yo | quise | |
| tú | quisiste | |
| él, ella, usted | quiso | |
| nosotros | quisimos | |
| ellos, ustedes | quisieron | |
| vosotros, Spain only | quisisteis |
Imperfect, the background past
What used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
| yo | quería | |
| tú | querías | |
| él, ella, usted | quería | |
| nosotros | queríamos | |
| ellos, ustedes | querían | |
| vosotros, Spain only | queríais |
Future
Will do. In conversation, ir a plus the verb is more common: voy a comer.
| yo | querré | |
| tú | querrás | |
| él, ella, usted | querrá | |
| nosotros | querremos | |
| ellos, ustedes | querrán | |
| vosotros, Spain only | querréis |
Present perfect
Have done. Used far more in Spain, where it covers today; most of Latin America uses the preterite there.
| yo | he querido | |
| tú | has querido | |
| él, ella, usted | ha querido | |
| nosotros | hemos querido | |
| ellos, ustedes | han querido | |
| vosotros, Spain only | habéis querido |
Other forms
The -ing form, the form that follows he, has and ha, and how to tell someone to do it.
| -ing form | queriendo | |
| participle | querido |
No command form in everyday use.
In a sentence
quiero un café
I want a coffee
te quiero
I love you