Querer Conjugation | How to Conjugate Querer in Spanish

Querer means “to want,” “to love,” or “to intend.” You will learn its quiero, quise, querré, quiera, quisiera, and quisiere families, plus gerund queriendo and common complement patterns.

Querer conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Querer combines several stems: stressed present quier-, preterite quis-, future/conditional querr-, present subjunctive quier-, and past/future subjunctive quisier-.

Querer gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle querido remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	querer	to want / love
Gerund	queriendo	wanting / loving
Past participle	querido	wanted / loved

Querer meaning and essential uses

Querer is transitive and most commonly means “to want”: Quiero agua. — “I want water.” It also means loving or feeling affection for someone: Quiero mucho a mi familia. — “I love my family very much.”

Before another action with the same subject, use querer + infinitive: Quiero salir. — “I want to leave.” With a different subject, use querer que + subjunctive: Quiero que vengas. — “I want you to come.”

Querer irregular conjugation patterns

Stressed present forms use quier-: quiero, quieres, quiere, quieren, while queremos / queréis keep quer-. The present subjunctive similarly contrasts quiera with queramos / queráis.

The preterite uses quis-: quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron. Future and conditional use querr-, while the imperfect/future subjunctive use quisier-.

Querer indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Querer present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. Stressed forms use quier-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras keep quer-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	quiero	I want / love
Tú — you, singular informal	quieres	you want / love
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	quiere	he / she wants / loves; you want / love (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	queremos	we want / love
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	queréis	you want / love (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	quieren	they want / love; you want / love (plural)

• Quiero una mesa junto a la ventana. — I want a table by the window.

Querer preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The entire preterite uses the irregular quis- family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	quise	I wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	quisiste	you wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	quiso	he / she wanted / loved; you wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	quisimos	we wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	quisisteis	you wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	quisieron	they wanted / loved; you wanted / loved (plural)

• Ayer quise hablar contigo. — Yesterday I wanted to talk with you.

Querer imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	quería	I used to want / love / was wanting / loving
Tú — you, singular informal	querías	you used to want / love / were wanting / loving
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	quería	he / she used to want / love / was wanting / loving; you used to want / love / were wanting / loving (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	queríamos	we used to want / love / were wanting / loving
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	queríais	you used to want / love / were wanting / loving (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	querían	they used to want / love / were wanting / loving; you used to want / love / were wanting / loving (plural)

• De niño quería ser piloto. — As a child, I wanted to be a pilot.

Querer present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Usage note: estar + queriendo is possible in suitable contexts but is less neutral than simple querer for ordinary wants and preferences.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy queriendo	I am wanting / loving
Tú — you, singular informal	estás queriendo	you are wanting / loving
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está queriendo	he / she is wanting / loving; you are wanting / loving (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos queriendo	we are wanting / loving
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis queriendo	you are wanting / loving (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están queriendo	they are wanting / loving; you are wanting / loving (plural)

• Estoy queriendo cambiar algunas cosas. — I am wanting to change some things.

Querer near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and querer.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a querer	I am going to want / love
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a querer	you are going to want / love
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a querer	he / she is going to want / love; you are going to want / love (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a querer	we are going to want / love
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a querer	you are going to want / love (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a querer	they are going to want / love; you are going to want / love (plural)

• Voy a querer más información antes de decidir. — I am going to want more information before deciding.

Querer future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The future uses the irregular stem querr-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	querré	I will want / love
Tú — you, singular informal	querrás	you will want / love
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	querrá	he / she will want / love; you will want / love (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	querremos	we will want / love
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	querréis	you will want / love (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	querrán	they will want / love; you will want / love (plural)

• Querré descansar después del viaje. — I will want to rest after the trip.

Querer conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The conditional uses the irregular stem querr-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	querría	I would want / love
Tú — you, singular informal	querrías	you would want / love
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	querría	he / she would want / love; you would want / love (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	querríamos	we would want / love
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	querríais	you would want / love (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	querrían	they would want / love; you would want / love (plural)

• Querría una habitación tranquila, por favor. — I would like a quiet room, please.

Querer present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he querido	I have wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	has querido	you have wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha querido	he / she has wanted / loved; you have wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos querido	we have wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis querido	you have wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han querido	they have wanted / loved; you have wanted / loved (plural)

• Siempre he querido visitar Perú. — I have always wanted to visit Peru.

Querer past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había querido	I had wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	habías querido	you had wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había querido	he / she had wanted / loved; you had wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos querido	we had wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais querido	you had wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían querido	they had wanted / loved; you had wanted / loved (plural)

• Ya había querido cambiar de trabajo antes. — I had wanted to change jobs before.

Querer future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré querido	I will have wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás querido	you will have wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá querido	he / she will have wanted / loved; you will have wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos querido	we will have wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis querido	you will have wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán querido	they will have wanted / loved; you will have wanted / loved (plural)

• Para entonces habrán querido probar otra opción. — By then they will have wanted to try another option.

Querer conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría querido	I would have wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías querido	you would have wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría querido	he / she would have wanted / loved; you would have wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos querido	we would have wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais querido	you would have wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían querido	they would have wanted / loved; you would have wanted / loved (plural)

• Habría querido hablar contigo antes. — I would have liked to talk with you earlier.

Querer subjunctive conjugations

Querer present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use quier-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use quer-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	quiera	that I want / love
Tú — you, singular informal	quieras	that you want / love
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	quiera	that he / she want / love; that you want / love (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	queramos	that we want / love
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	queráis	that you want / love (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	quieran	that they want / love; that you want / love (plural)

• Quiero que vengas mañana. — I want you to come tomorrow.

Querer imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. These forms use the quisier- family; the main table shows the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	quisiera	that I wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	quisieras	that you wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	quisiera	that he / she wanted / loved; that you wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	quisiéramos	that we wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	quisierais	that you wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	quisieran	that they wanted / loved; that you wanted / loved (plural)

• Preferían que quisiéramos quedarnos más tiempo. — They preferred that we want to stay longer.
• Era posible que quisieses otra cosa. — It was possible that you wanted something else.

Querer future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare forms use the quisier- family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	quisiere	if / when I should want / love
Tú — you, singular informal	quisieres	if / when you should want / love
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	quisiere	if / when he / she should want / love; if / when you should want / love (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	quisiéremos	if / when we should want / love
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	quisiereis	if / when you should want / love (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	quisieren	if / when they should want / love; if / when you should want / love (plural)

• Quien quisiere participar deberá inscribirse. — Whoever should wish to participate must register.

Querer present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya querido	that I have wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas querido	that you have wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya querido	that he / she has wanted / loved; that you have wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos querido	that we have wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis querido	that you have wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan querido	that they have wanted / loved; that you have wanted / loved (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas querido ayudar. — I am glad that you wanted to help.

Querer past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera querido	that I had wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras querido	that you had wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera querido	that he / she had wanted / loved; that you had wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos querido	that we had wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais querido	that you had wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran querido	that they had wanted / loved; that you had wanted / loved (plural)

• Si hubiera querido ir, habría comprado un billete. — If I had wanted to go, I would have bought a ticket.
• Si hubieses querido venir, habríamos encontrado sitio. — If you had wanted to come, we would have found room.

Querer future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle querido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere querido	if / when I should have wanted / loved
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres querido	if / when you should have wanted / loved
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere querido	if / when he / she should have wanted / loved; if / when you should have wanted / loved (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos querido	if / when we should have wanted / loved
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis querido	if / when you should have wanted / loved (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren querido	if / when they should have wanted / loved; if / when you should have wanted / loved (plural)

• Si hubieren querido participar, deberán presentar la solicitud. — If they should have wanted to participate, they must submit the application.

Querer imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Querer affirmative commands

Usage-sensitive. RAE records quiere / queré, quiera, quered, quieran. Direct commands with “want” are unusual, but lexical “love / care for” and exhortative uses can be natural; the table is retained as a complete reference paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	quiere	want
Usted — you, singular formal	quiera	want (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	queramos	let’s want
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	quered	want (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	quieran	want (plural)

• Quiere a las personas que te tratan bien. — Love the people who treat you well.

Querer negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no quieras	do not want
Usted — you, singular formal	no quiera	do not want (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no queramos	let’s not want
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no queráis	do not want (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no quieran	do not want (plural)

• No quieras controlarlo todo. — Do not try to control everything.

Common constructions with Querer

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• querer algo. — to want something.
• querer a alguien. — to love / care for someone.
• querer + infinitive. — to want / intend to do something.
• querer que + subjunctive. — to want another subject to do something.
• querer decir. — to mean.

Example sentences with Querer

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Quiero aprender español. — I want to learn Spanish.
• Te quiero mucho. — I love you very much.
• ¿Quieres venir conmigo? — Do you want to come with me?
• Quiero que me llames mañana. — I want you to call me tomorrow.
• ¿Qué quiere decir esta palabra? — What does this word mean?
• Querría reservar una mesa para dos. — I would like to reserve a table for two.

Regional and usage notes for Querer

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos querés aprender más. — You want to learn more. (voseo)
• Queré a quien te respete. — Love those who respect you. (affirmative vos command)

Querer must be learned by stem family: quier- in stressed present forms, quis- in the preterite, querr- in future and conditional, and quisier- in the past/future subjunctive families.