How to Say “Want” in Spanish with Querer

The verb querer  (to want) is one of the first you’ll learn in Spanish: It’s incredibly common and will come up time and time again in conversations.

Querer is an irregular verb, which makes it slightly harder to learn—but definitely not impossible. Here we’ll go through how to conjugate it and different ways you can start using it. 

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How to Use Querer (to Want) in Spanish

The verb for expressing your wants in Spanish is querer . To say that you want to do something, just follow this formula:

(Yo) quiero + infinitive 

And if you want an item, use this one:

(Yo) quiero + (article) noun

As you can see, the yo (I) is implied in the formulas above, so you can just leave it out. Here are some examples: 

• Quiero aprender español. (I want to learn Spanish).
• Quiero un café. (I want a coffee.)
• Yo quiero ir al cine. (I want to go to the cinema.)
• Quiero cambiar mi trabajo. (I want to change my job.)
• Yo quiero un vestido rojo. (I want a red dress.)

Conjugating Querer

As you’ve noticed by now, the verb querer, like all Spanish verbs, changes forms depending on who’s doing the wanting. 

Unfortunately, querer is an irregular Spanish verb. Fortunately, it follows a pattern that’s pretty simple to remember. It’s a stem-changing verb, which means that it changes in a fairly predictable way. 

 Here’s a quick look at the conjugation of querer in the present tense for reference:

• Yo quiero — I want
• Tú quieres — You (informal) want
• Él / ella quiere  — He/she wants
• Usted quiere — You (formal) want
• Nosotros / nosotras queremos  — We (male and mixed gender)/we (female) want
• Vosotros / vosotras queréis — You (male and mixed gender plural, informal)/you (female plural, informal) want
• Ustedes quieren — You (plural) want
• Ellos / ellas quieren — They (male and mixed gender)/they (female) want

You can see the verb’s conjugations in other tenses over at SpanishDict and practice them on Conjuguemos. For more context, see the verb in use by native Spanish speakers on the video-based learning program, FluentU.

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More Ways to Use Querer

The Spanish verb querer has more uses than the simple “to want.” Here are some more common ways to use querer in Spanish:

• Asking for something: Querer + Noun

  Example: ¿Quieres café?  (Do you want coffee?)

• Expressing love or affection: Querer + a + Person

  Example: Quiero mucho a mi hija. (I love my daughter so much.)

• Talking about preferences: Querer + Noun

  Example: Quiero la camisa azul.  (I want the blue shirt.)

• Expressing willingness or readiness: Querer + Infinitive

  Example: Quiero ayudarte (I want to help you).

• Making offers: Querer + Infinitive

  Example: ¿Quieres que te ayude?  (Do you want me to help you?)

Common Phrases that Use Querer

And finally, there are some phrases where the verb is used in other contexts. Here are a few of the most common phrases with querer that you might hear in everyday conversation: 

• Querer decir — to mean

  Example: ¿Qué quieres decir con eso?  (What do you mean by that?)

• Querer hacer algo — to want to do something

  Example: Quiero hacer ejercicio. (I want to exercise.)

• Querer tener razón — to want to be right

  Example: Siempre quiere tener razón.  (She always wants to be right.)

• Querer decir algo a alguien — to mean something to someone

  Example: Este regalo quiere decir mucho para mí.  (This gift means a lot to me.)

• Quererse como uno es — to love oneself as one is

  Example: Es importante quererte como eres. (It’s important to love yourself as you are.)

• Querer tener la última palabra — to want to have the last word

  Example: Siempre quiere tener la última palabra.  (He always wants to have the last word.)

• Querer es poder — where there’s a will, there’s a way

  Example: Lo lograrás. Recuerda: El querer es poder. (You’ll make it. Remember: Where there’s a will, there’s a way.)

Other Ways to Say “I Want” in Spanish

Do you want to move beyond querer? There are a few other ways to say “I want” in Spanish that don’t use the most common verb. To add some variety to your conversations, use these other ways for expressing desires in Spanish: 

• Me gustaría — I would like

  Example: Me gustaría un helado. (I would like ice cream.)

• Desearía — I wish

  Example: Desearía ser rica. (I wish I was rich.)

• Me apetece — I fancy

  Example: Me apetece pizza. (I fancy pizza.)

• Necesito — I need

  Example: Necesito un descanso. (I need a break.)

• Me vendría bien — I could use

  Example: Me vendría bien un consejo. (I could use some advice.)

• Anhelo — I long for

  Example: Anhelo una vida tranquila. (I long for a peaceful life.)

• Tengo ganas de — I feel like

  Example: Tengo ganas de viajar. (I feel like traveling.)

• Aspiro a — I aspire for

  Example: Aspiro a volverme una gran estrella. (I aspire to become a great star.)

If you want to say “I want” in Spanish, these are all the phrases you can use. Plus, you’ve  mastered how to use the Spanish verb querer. Now you can talk about your wants with ease!

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