querem

Querem is a Portuguese verb form meaning “they want” and is also used as the standard form for “you (plural) want” in modern Portuguese when the subject is a plural pronoun such as eles, elas, or vocês. It is the present indicative third-person plural form of the verb querer, which means to want or to wish.

Grammatically, quero- forms of querer show person and number agreement with the subject. In European Portuguese, the archaic second-person plural form vós quereis exists but is rarely used in everyday speech, with vocês querendo or querem serving as the usual 2nd person plural in contemporary contexts.

Conjugation in the present indicative typically appears as: eu quero, tu queres, ele/ela quer, nós queremos, vós quereis (archaic in many varieties), eles/elas querem, vocês querem. The form tetep aligns with a plural subject across standard varieties: eles querem, vocês querem.

Etymology traces querer to Latin quaerere, meaning to seek, inquire, or desire. The verb has cognates in other Romance languages, such as Spanish querer and Italian volere, reflecting a common Latin root regarding desire and intention.

Usage notes: querem is used to express desire, intention, or intention toward an action, often followed by an infinitive or a subordinate clause. Examples: Eles querem ir ao cinema. Vocês querem aprender português. Queria que eles quisessem participar, but querer remains the primary vehicle for expressing desire in present contexts.

See also: querer (Portuguese verb), querer in other Romance languages.