quiero

Quiero is the first person singular present indicative form of the Spanish verb querer. The basic meaning is “I want,” but querer can also express affection, so te quiero can mean “I love you” or “I care for you” in many contexts. The word derives from Latin quaerere, meaning “to seek” or “to desire.” In everyday use, quiero is a common starting point for statements of desire, intention, and preference.

Conjugation and form. Querer is an irregular, stem-changing verb in the present tense. The forms are quiero, quieres, quiere, queremos, queréis, quieren. In this present tense, the stem e changes to ie in all forms except nosotros and vosotros, which retain the stem quer-: queremos, queréis. Other tenses follow regular patterns with their own irregularities: quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron (preterite); quería, querías, quería, queríamos, queríais, querían (imperfect); querré, querrás, querrá, querremos, querréis, querrán (future). The present subjunctive is quiera, quieras, quiera, queramos, queráis, quieran, and the polite imperfect/subjunctive form is quisiera or quisiese.

Usage notes. Quiero appears in numerous phrases, such as “Quiero comer” (I want to eat) or “¿Qué quieres?” (What do you want?). The verb also appears in fixed expressions like “Quiero decir…” (I mean…). The conditional polite form “querría” or the imperfect subjunctive “quisiera” is used for softer requests: “Querría un café, por favor” or “Quisiera saber más.” Distinctions between querer meaning “to want” and “to love” are often contextual, with te quiero commonly conveying affection.

Related terms. Querer is closely linked to synonyms like desear and amar, and its various tenses are frequently encountered in Spanish conversation and writing.