quiere
/kjeɾe/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'wants' is quiere.
The term is used to express having a desire or wish for something. When you want to express wanting to perform an action, place the infinitive directly after the verb without a preposition, such as quiere comer for 'wants to eat'.
Which one should you use?
The form quiere is ambiguous and can mean both 'wants' or 'loves' depending on whether the object is a thing or a person.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes based on the subject: quiero is the first person singular ('I want'), quieres is the informal second person singular ('you want').
How do you pronounce it?
/kjeɾe/
Did you know?
- The verb querer is used in the expression querer decir, which literally means 'to want to say' but is the standard way to say 'to mean'.
- The verb querer comes from the Latin quaerere, which originally meant 'to seek' or 'to look for' rather than just to desire.
- To sound more polite when making a request, you can use the imperfect tense quería to say 'I wanted', even if you are asking for something at that very moment.
Examples in context
- Tom quiere a Mary.Tom wants Mary.This sentence shows how to express wanting a person using quiere.Tatoeba #3458682 by cueyayotl, translation #2239713 by CK
- Él quiere, ella no.He wants to, she doesn't.This sentence demonstrates a contrast in wanting between two people using quiere.Tatoeba #1134056 by Shishir, translation #4877620 by jshholland
- Sabe lo que quiere.He knows what he wants.This sentence shows the use of the phrase to describe knowing one's own desires using quiere.Tatoeba #2441949 by Shishir, translation #2439993 by Hybrid
- ¿En qué puedo ayudarle? ¿Qué desea?How can I assist you? What do you want?
- Quisiera reservar una mesa para dos, por favor.I would like to book a table for two, please.
- Quiero un helado de vainilla.I want vanilla ice cream.
- Me gustaría ir al cine esta noche.I would like to go to the movies tonight.
- 994 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are discussing what to eat for dinner.
- ElenaElena, ¿qué quieres cenar hoy?Elena, what do you want to have for dinner today?
- AlejandroNo sé, pero Alejandro quiere pizza.I don't know, but Alejandro wants pizza.
- ElenaEs verdad, él siempre quiere pizza.That's true, he always wants pizza.
- AlejandroEntonces pidamos una pizza grande.Then let's order a large pizza.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
