Querer (to want) · Present
By TutorLily Editorial Team · Last updated
Querer in the Spanish present (presente) is: yo quiero, tú quieres, él/ella/usted quiere, nosotros/as queremos, vosotros/as queréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes quieren. The present of querer expresses current wanting or loving: 'quiero un café' (I want a coffee), 'te quiero' (I love you). The e→ie stem change applies in stressed forms (quiero, quieres, quiere, quieren) but not in nosotros/vosotros (queremos, queréis).
| To Want | Querer |
|---|---|
| I want | yo quiero |
| you want | tú quieres |
| he/she wants | él/ella/usted quiere |
| we want | nosotros/as queremos |
| you want | vosotros/as queréis |
| they want | ellos/ellas/ustedes quieren |
Querer (to want) in context
Sentences that use querer in the present. Tap each to hear it.
I want to learn Spanish.
Do you want a coffee?
My sister wants to move to Madrid.
We want to go to the beach this summer.
Do you want to come with us to the cinema?
The children want a dog.
Working with the present
Spanish uses the present tense more broadly than English does. "Estudio español" can mean "I study Spanish," "I am studying Spanish," or "I do study Spanish" — context decides. The biggest stumbling block for English speakers is the yo form of irregular verbs (hago, tengo, doy, voy, soy). Memorise those individually; the other persons usually follow regular patterns.
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate querer in the present tense?
What's the difference between 'te quiero' and 'te amo'?
What's an e→ie stem-changing verb?
Practice Querer (To Want) in real conversations
TutorLily is your personal language tutor that catches every mistake gently and keeps the conversation going.
3-day free trial · Cancel anytime · 50+ languages
More tenses of Querer (To Want)
Get the app