Querer Conjugation Chart & Full Tense Guide

If you’re reading this guide, you’ll know that learning the specific conjugation of Spanish verbs is crucial for mastering the language. You need to be able to use multiple tenses in order to communicate with fluency.

“Querer” means “to want” and “to love”. It is one of the many irregular Spanish verbs you should try to learn as quickly as possible, and understanding the Spanish conjugation patterns of this irregular verb across different tenses is fundamental for Spanish learners.

I’m James, from Learn Spanish With James. In this guide, I’ll show you the conjugated forms of the Spanish verb “querer” across all of the major tenses, accompanied by explanations and example sentences with each specific pronoun. 

So, whether you just want to use the intimate expression “te quiero” or navigate more formal contexts that ”querer” appears in, this resource will provide you with the necessary tools to conjugate “querer” easily and correctly. 

Present Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	quiero
you	tú	quieres
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	quiere
we	nosotros,nosotras	queremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	queréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	quieren

When We Use The Present Tense in Spanish

The present tense in Spanish serves various purposes, including describing actions happening now, expressing habitual actions, stating general truths, and narrating future events when used with certain time indicators.

When conjugating the irregular Spanish verb “querer” in the present tense indicative, you are reflecting the current desires or wishes of the subject.

You will find some examples of this below. 

Examples of the Present Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo quiero mucho ir al cine esta noche. (I want to go to the movies tonight.)
2. Tú quieres comer pizza para la cena. (You want to eat pizza for dinner.)
3. Él/ella quiere comprar un nuevo coche. (He wants to buy a new car.)
4. Nosotros queremos viajar por Europa el próximo verano. (We want to travel around Europe next summer.)
5. Vosotros queréis estudiar medicina en la universidad. (You all want to study medicine at the university.)
6. Ellos/Ellas quieren aprender a tocar la guitarra. (They want to learn how to play the guitar.)

Preterite Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	quise
you	tú	quisiste
he, she. it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	quiso
we	nosotros, nosotras	quisimos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	quisisteis
they, you (pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	quisieron

When We Use The Preterite Tense in Spanish

The preterite tense in Spanish is used to indicate actions that were completed in the past at a specific point in time.

It is employed for actions that have a definite beginning and end. In English, the literal translation is “wanted”.

Be careful not to confuse the preterite tense with the imperfect tense, which we’ll come onto shortly. 

Below, you will find example sentences of the preterite tense. Compare these with the imperfect tense examples in the following section and you will notice the different use cases, depending on context, between the preterite and imperfect tense.   

Examples of the Preterite Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo quise ir al cine anoche. (I wanted to go to the movies last night.)
2. Tú quisiste comer pizza para la cena ayer. (You wanted to eat pizza for dinner yesterday.)
3. Él/ella quiso comprar un nuevo coche la semana pasada. (He wanted to buy a new car last week.)
4. Nosotros quisimos viajar por Europa el verano pasado. (We wanted to travel around Europe last summer.)
5. Vosotros quisisteis estudiar medicina en la universidad el año pasado. (You all wanted to study medicine at the university last year.)
6. Ellos/ellas quisieron aprender a tocar la guitarra el mes pasado. (They wanted to learn how to play the guitar last month.)

Imperfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	quería
you	tú	querías
he, she, it, you (formal)	él, ella, usted	quería
we	nosotros, nosotras	queríamos
you (plural)	vosotros, vosotras	queríais
they, you(pl. formal)	ellos, ellas, ustedes	querían

When We Use The Imperfect Tense in Spanish

Imperfect Spanish verb conjugation is simple to learn. The imperfect tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past. With the verb “querer” it expresses continuous desires or wishes that were recurring or ongoing in a previous time frame.

The literal translation is “was wanting” or “used to want”. Take note that this differs from the preterite “wanted”.

The imperfect tense is often used to provide background information, set the scene, or describe past states of mind or feelings regarding wanting something.

It’s for this reason that you will come across the imperfect tense frequently in Spanish literature, or anything with a storytelling context. 

Examples of the Imperfect Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo quería ir al cine todas las noches. (I used to want to go to the movies every night.)
2. Tú querías comer pizza para la cena todos los días. (You used to want to eat pizza for dinner every day.)
3. Él/ella quería comprar un nuevo coche cada año. (He used to want to buy a new car every year.)
4. Nosotros queríamos viajar por Europa cada verano. (We used to want to travel around Europe every summer.)
5. Vosotros queríais estudiar medicina en la universidad cada semestre. (You all used to want to study medicine at the university every semester.)
6. Ellos/ellas querían aprender a tocar la guitarra cada fin de semana. (They used to want to learn how to play the guitar every weekend.)

Future Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	querré
you	tú	querrás
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	querrá
we	nosotros,nosotras	querremos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	querréis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	querrán

When We Use The Future Tense in Spanish

The future tense in Spanish is employed to express actions that will occur at a later time. When applied to the verb “querer” it signifies forthcoming desires or intentions.

This tense is used to indicate future wants or wishes, showing what someone intends or desires to do in the upcoming moments or periods.

In English, the literal translation is “will want”. This differs from the condition tense, which we’ll come onto shortly. 

Below, I have provided examples of “querer” in the future tense.

Examples of “Querer” in the Future Tense

1. Yo querré ir al cine esta noche. (I will want to go to the movies tonight.)
2. Tú querrás comer pizza para la cena mañana. (You will want to eat pizza for dinner tomorrow.)
3. Él/ella querrá comprar un nuevo coche el próximo mes. (He will want to buy a new car next month.)
4. Nosotros querremos viajar por Europa el próximo verano. (We will want to travel around Europe next summer.)
5. Vosotros querréis estudiar medicina en la universidad el próximo año. (You all will want to study medicine at the university next year.)
6. Ellos/ellas querrán aprender a tocar la guitarra el próximo mes. (They will want to learn how to play the guitar next month.)

Conditional Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	querría
you	tú	querrías
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	querría
we	nosotros,nosotras	querríamos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	querríais
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	querrían

When We Use The Conditional Tense in Spanish

The conditional tense in Spanish is used to express hypothetical situations or polite requests.

When applied to the verb “querer”, it indicates desires or wishes that are dependent on certain conditions or circumstances. It can also convey polite requests or expressions of courtesy.

The conditional tense translation is “would”. 

Here are some examples of how to conjugate ”querer” in the conditional tense. 

Examples of the Irregular Verb “Querer” in the Conditional Tense

1. Yo querría ir al cine esta noche si tuviera tiempo. (I would want to go to the cinema tonight if I had time.)
2. Tú querrías viajar por el mundo si ganaras la lotería. (You would want to travel the world if you won the lottery.)
3. Él/ella querría aprender a tocar guitarra si tuviera más paciencia. (He would want to learn to play the guitar if he had more patience.)
4. Nosotros querríamos comprar una casa nueva si encontráramos una buena oferta. (We would want to buy a new house if we found a good deal.)
5. Vosotros querríais probar comida exótica si visitarais un país diferente. (You all would want to try exotic food if you visited a different country.)
6. Ellos/ellas querrían pasar más tiempo con su familia si vivieran más cerca. (They would want to spend more time with their family if they lived closer.)

Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	he	querido
you	tú	has	querido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	ha	querido
we	nosotros,nosotras	hemos	querido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habéis	querido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	han	querido

When We Use The Preterite Perfect Tense in Spanish

The perfect tense in Spanish expresses actions that were completed before another past action.

The literal translation is “have wanted”. In order to use this tense, you need to conjugate the auxilary verb “haber” and employ the past particple of the verb “querer”, which is “querido.”

It’s pretty simple, and I have provided some examples of “querer” in the perfect tense below.

Examples of the Preterite Perfect Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo he querido aprender a tocar piano desde que era niño. (I have wanted to learn to play the piano since I was a child.)
2. Tú has querido viajar por Asia durante mucho tiempo. (You have wanted to travel around Asia for a long time.)
3. Él ha querido ser doctor desde que era joven. (He has wanted to be a doctor since he was young.)
4. Nosotros hemos querido empezar nuestro propio negocio desde hace tiempo. (We have wanted to start our own business for a while.)
5. Vosotros habéis querido mudaros a una casa más grande. (You all have wanted to move to a bigger house.)
6. Ellos han querido mejorar sus habilidades en el idioma extranjero. (They have wanted to improve their skills in the foreign language.)

Pluperfect Tense 

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	había	querido
you	tú	habías	querido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	había	querido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habíamos	querido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habíais	querido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habían	querido

When We Use The Pluperfect Tense in Spanish

We use the the pluperfect tense in Spanish when we want to express actions that had occurred before another past action, combining the auxiliary verb “haber” with the participle ”querido.”

They key word to note here is “had”. The translation with the verb “querer” is “had wanted”.

Below are some example sentences so that you can see this tense in context. 

Examples of the Pluperfect Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo había querido ir al concierto, pero ya estaba agotado cuando me enteré. (I had wanted to go to the concert, but I was already tired when I found out.)
2. Tú habías querido comprar ese libro, pero te diste cuenta de que ya lo tenías. (You had wanted to buy that book, but you realized you already had it.)
3. Él había querido estudiar medicina, pero luego decidió seguir una carrera en ingeniería. (He had wanted to study medicine, but then he decided to pursue a career in engineering.)
4. Nosotros habíamos querido visitar a nuestros amigos, pero el mal tiempo nos lo impidió. (We had wanted to visit our friends, but the bad weather prevented us from doing so.)
5. Vosotros habíais querido aprender un nuevo idioma, pero no encontraron el tiempo suficiente. (You all had wanted to learn a new language, but you didn’t find enough time.)
6. Ellos habían querido comprar una casa en la playa, pero los precios eran demasiado altos. (They had wanted to buy a house at the beach, but the prices were too high.)

Future Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habré	querido
you	tú	habrás	querido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habrá	querido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habremos	querido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habréis	querido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrán	querido

When We Use The Future Perfect Tense in Spanish

The future perfect Tense in Spanish expresses actions that will have been completed at a certain point in the future. 

Just like the previous example, we need to combine the auxiliary verb “haber” with the participle ”querido.”

So, the English translation with the verb “querer” is “will have wanted”.

Examples of the Future Perfect Tense”Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo habré visto la película antes de que empiece la fiesta. (I will have seen the movie before the party starts.)
2. Tú habrás visto todos los monumentos cuando regrese de mi viaje. (You will have seen all the monuments by the time I come back from my trip.)
3. Él habrá visto el partido antes de que lleguemos al estadio. (He will have seen the match before we arrive at the stadium.)
4. Ella habrá visto la serie completa para la próxima semana. (She will have seen the entire series by next week.)
5. Nosotros habremos visto la puesta de sol antes de que termine la cena. (We will have seen the sunset before dinner ends.)
6. Vosotros habréis visto la obra de teatro cuando vuelva de mi viaje. (You all will have seen the play by the time I return from my trip.)
7. Ellos habrán visto la exposición antes de que cierre el museo. (They will have seen the exhibition before the museum closes.)

Conditional Perfect Tense

Pronouns	Pronombres	Auxiliary verb ‘haber’
I	yo	habría	querido
you	tú	habrías	querido
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	habría	querido
we	nosotros,nosotras	habríamos	querido
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	habríais	querido
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	habrían	querido

When We Use The Conditional Perfect Tense in Spanish

The conditional perfect tense in Spanish is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past given a certain condition. 

Again, we use the auxiliary verb “haber” with the participle ”querido.” 

The translation in English is “would have wanted”. Further examples of this tense in context are below.

Examples of the Conditional Perfect Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo habría querido ir contigo, pero estaba ocupado. (I would have wanted to go with you, but I was busy.)
2. Tú habrías querido viajar más, pero no tenías suficiente dinero. (You would have wanted to travel more, but you didn’t have enough money.)
3. Él/ella habría querido ser arquitecto si hubiera estudiado más. (He would have wanted to be an architect if he had studied more.)
4. Ella habría querido comprar esa casa si hubiera estado disponible. (She would have wanted to buy that house if it had been available.)
5. Nosotros habríamos querido ayudarte, pero no nos lo pediste. (We would have wanted to help you, but you didn’t ask us.)
6. Vosotros habríais querido asistir a la fiesta, pero estábais fuera de la ciudad. (You all would have wanted to attend the party, but you were out of town.)
7. Ellos/ellas habrían querido reunirse contigo, pero no pudieron. (They would have wanted to meet up with you, but they couldn’t.

Present Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	quiera
you	tú	quieras
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	quiera
we	nosotros,nosotras	queramos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	queráis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	quieran

When We Use The Present Subjunctive in Spanish

The present subjunctive in Spanish is very common and you will need to learn when to use this by heart. With enough practice, using this tense becomes second nature. 

Until then, get used to making mistakes; it’s all part of the process! 

We use the present subjunctive, or any form of the subjunctive in Spanish, to express desires, wishes, suggestions, doubts, or emotions. 

This is almost always in dependent clauses following certain conjunctions or fixed phrases. 

Below, you’ll find further examples of this. 

Examples of the Present Subjunctive Tense “Querer” Conjugation

1. Yo quiero que tú quieras lo mejor para ti. (I want you to want the best for yourself.)
2. Espero que ella quiera venir a la fiesta esta noche. (I hope she wants to come to the party tonight.)
3. Ojalá que nosotros queramos aprender más sobre la cultura local. (I hope we want to learn more about the local culture.)
4. Es importante que vosotros queráis respetar las reglas del juego. (It’s important that you all want to respect the rules of the game.)
5. Me alegra que ellos quieran ayudar en la organización del evento. (It makes me happy that they want to help with the event organization.)

Imperfect Subjunctive

Pronouns	Pronombres
I	yo	quisiera, quisiese
you	tú	quisieras, quisieses
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	quisiera, quisiese
we	nosotros,nosotras	quisiéramos, quisiésemos
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	quisierais, quisieseis
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	quisieran, quisiesen

When We Use The Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish

The imperfect subjunctive in Spanish is another form of the subjunctive you will need to get used to learning. 

Again, this is used to express desires, wishes, doubts, or hypothetical situations in the past.

Examples of the Imperfect Subjunctive Tense “Querer” Conjugation

• Yo quisiera más tiempo para descansar. (I would like more time to rest.)
• Tú quisieras que las cosas fueran diferentes. (You would wish things were different.)
• Él quisiera poder viajar por el mundo. (He would like to be able to travel the world.)
• Nosotros quisiéramos que hubiera más paz en el mundo. (We would like there to be more peace in the world.)
• Vosotros quisierais que la fiesta durara toda la noche. (You all would like the party to last all night.)
• Ellos quisieran tener más libertad para tomar decisiones. (They would like to have more freedom to make decisions.)

Affirmative Imperative of the Spanish Verb “Querer”

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡quiere!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡quiera!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡queramos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡quered!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡quieran!

When We Use The Affirmative Imperative

The affirmative imperative in Spanish is used to give commands or requests in a positive, affirmative manner.

Negative Imperative

Pronouns	Pronombres
you	tú	¡no quieras!
he,she,it, you(formal)	él,ella,usted	¡no quiera!
we	nosotros,nosotras	¡no queramos!
you pl.	vosotros, vosotras	¡no queráis!
they, you pl. (formal)	ellos,ellas,ustedes	¡no quieran!

When We Use The Negative Imperative

The negative imperative in Spanish is used to give commands or requests in a negative manner, indicating what someone should not do.

In order to use it, you just need to add “no” to the start of your sentence or statement. 

Online Spanish Courses & Grammar Courses

Spanish verb conjugation can be tricky, but with the right resources, you can master all verb forms easily. 

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