querer
verbBeginnerHigh frequency
What does “querer” mean in English?
1.to want
to want (quiero un café, ¿quieres salir?)
2.to love
to love (te quiero, quiero mucho a mi familia)
Example sentences
Quiero un café, por favor.
I want a coffee, please.
Quiero aprender español.
I want to learn Spanish.
Te quiero mucho.
I love you very much.
How to use it
Querer means 'to want' (also 'to love' for people). Irregular with e→ie stem change: quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren.
Common mistake
Te quiero is the standard 'I love you' for family, friends, partners. Te amo is more intense / romantic / dramatic. Use querer for everyday affection.
Forms of querer
- Present
- quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren
Topics
Related Beginner words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish (Butt, Benjamin & Moreira Rodríguez, Routledge), 13.