Quisimos

Quisimos is the first-person plural form of the Spanish verb querer in the preterite indicative. It typically translates as “we wanted.” In contexts describing past attempted actions, it can also mean “we tried to” or “we attempted to” when followed by an infinitive. The exact meaning depends on context and what follows.

Etymology and form: Querer derives from Latin quaerere, “to seek, to desire.” In the preterite, the stem changes to quis- and takes the usual endings: quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron. This makes quisimos irregular in the preterite compared with the corresponding present-tense stem quer- forms.

Usage notes and examples: Quisimos ir al cine, pero estaba lleno. This sentence means “We wanted to go to the cinema, but it was full” or “We tried to go to the cinema, but it was full,” depending on context. Other examples: No quisimos comer temprano; preferimos esperar. The meaning can shift with accompanying verbs such as poder or lograr, which indicate whether the action was accomplished or not.

Related forms: The imperfect subjunctive has forms like quisiera/quisiéramos; the present subjunctive is queramos. The preterite forms of querer are memorized as yo quise, tú quisiste, él quiso, nosotros quisimos, vosotros quisisteis, ellos quisieron.