Querer is used to mean “to want,” and it can be used almost exactly the same way as the English verb. However, querer is also a common way of expressing romantic affection, and “Te quiero” is a common way of saying “I love you.”
We all have things that we want, but how do we express these wants in Spanish? We use the verb QUERER! This verb is another verb that we call irregular in the Spanish language. We don’t mean that it sounds funny, but rather that it does not follow the traditional conjugation rules as our other rule-following “regular” verbs. Let’s take a look at the conjugation of the verb querer in the chart below:
QUERER = TO WANT
| Yo quiero – I want | Nosotros(as) queremos – We want |
| Tú quieres – You want | Vosotros(as) queréis – You all want |
| Él quiere – He wants Ella quiere – She wants Usted quiere – You (formal) want | Ellos quieren – They want Ellas quieren – They (feminine) want Ustedes quieren – You all want |
We now know that QUERER is an irregular verb, but what makes it irregular? Notice the change in the spelling of the verb as it is conjugated in its different forms (shown in bold in the chart below). This is called a STEM CHANGE VERB because you will notice that the spelling change occurs in the stem of the verb (the part that comes before the -er ending).
| Quiero | Queremos |
| Quieres | Queréis |
| Quiere | Quieren |
| FUN FACT! The nosotros and vosotros forms will never have a stem change spelling for any verb in the present tense. They are exempt from this irregular verb pattern. |
The Verb QUERER and Infinitives
We have now mentioned infinitives in two previous modules and have worked with them with a few verbs. Let’s see how to use infinitives with the verb querer in order to express things that you or others want to do.
In order to use an infinitive with querer, all we have to do is conjugate querer, then place the infinitive directly afterward. Remember, an infinitive is a verb in its original form, or an unchanged verb. For example: Quiero salir = I want to leave, Queremos visitar a nuestros amigos = We want to visit our friends.