In this lesson
Quiero and quieres
Querer means "to want". It's how you order at a taquería, say what you'd like to do this weekend and invite someone out. We start with yo (I) and tú (you):
| querer | |
|---|---|
| yo (I) | quiero |
| tú (you) | quieres |
Querer is one of the "boot" verbs from the irregular starter pack: the e changes to ie. Quiero, not quero.
There are only two ways to use it, and both are easy: want a thing or want to do something.
Quiero + a thing
Put a noun after it, with un or una like you saw in gender and articles:
Wanting things
- Quiero un café.I want a coffee.
- Quiero una galleta.I want a cookie.
- Quiero unos tacos.I want some tacos.
- Quiero agua.I want water.
- ¿Quieres un agua?Do you want a water? (un, because it's el agua)
- ¿Quieres una cerveza?Do you want a beer?
Quiero + an action
Put a verb after it, in its basic form (the one that ends in -ar, -er or -ir). No "to" in between:
Wanting to do things
- Quiero comer.I want to eat.
- Quiero aprender español.I want to learn Spanish.
- Quiero ir a la playa.I want to go to the beach.
- ¿Quieres bailar?Do you want to dance?
- ¿Quieres ir al cine?Do you want to go to the movies?
- No quiero trabajar hoy.I don't want to work today.
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.___ un café, por favor. (I want a coffee, please.)
2.¿Quieres ___? (Do you want to dance?)
3.Quiero ___ galleta.
Need it: necesito
For what you need, use necesitar. It's a regular verb, and it works exactly like querer: a thing or an action after it.
| necesitar | |
|---|---|
| yo (I) | necesito |
| tú (you) | necesitas |
Needs
- Necesito un café.I need a coffee.
- Necesito ayuda.I need help.
- Necesito ir al baño.I need to go to the bathroom.
- ¿Necesitas algo?Do you need anything?
Ordering politely: quisiera
Quiero un café is fine in Mexico, as long as you add por favor. But if you want to sound extra polite, use quisiera: "I would like".
Ordering at a café or restaurant
- Quisiera un café, por favor.I'd like a coffee, please.
- ¿Me da un café, por favor?Can I have a coffee, please? (literally: do you give me a coffee?)
- Para mí, unos tacos.For me, some tacos.
- La cuenta, por favor.The check, please.
Common mistakes
✗Quero un café.
✓Quiero un café.
Querer is a boot verb: the e becomes ie.
✗Quiero a comer.
✓Quiero comer.
No word for "to" before the second verb.
✗Quiero una café.
✓Quiero un café.
Café is masculine.
✗¿Quieres a ir al cine?
✓¿Quieres ir al cine?
Same rule: the verb goes straight after quieres.
✗Necesito a ir al baño.
✓Necesito ir al baño.
Necesitar works the same way: no a.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
Quiero un café y una galleta, por favor.
- quiero: querer with yo, the e becomes ie
- un café: masculine
- una galleta: feminine
- por favor: what makes quiero polite
And here's how it sounds with a friend at a café:
Tengo hambre. ¿Quieres comer algo?
I'm hungry. Do you want to eat something?
Sí, pero no quiero comer mucho. Quiero un café y una galleta.
Yes, but I don't want to eat much. I want a coffee and a cookie.
Yo quiero unos tacos. ¿Quieres un agua también?
I want some tacos. Do you want a water too?
No, gracias. Necesito un café: ¡tengo sueño!
No, thanks. I need a coffee: I'm sleepy!
Quisiera unos tacos y un café, por favor.
(To the waiter) I'd like some tacos and a coffee, please.
¿Y me da una galleta, por favor?
And can I have a cookie, please?
Now make it yours: say three things you want right now and one thing you want to do this weekend. Then invite someone with ¿Quieres…?
Test yourself
✍️ Six quick questions
0/6
1.¿___ ir a la playa? (Do you want to go to the beach?)
2.Quiero ___ español. (I want to learn Spanish.)
3.___ ayuda. (I need help.)
4.The most polite way to order:
5.¿Quieres ___ agua?
6.Te quiero means…
All the forms
Full present-tense chart
You'll learn él/ella in class 10 and nosotros/ellos in class 11. Here's the whole picture for when you need it. We teach Mexican Spanish, so there's no vosotros.
| yo | tú | él / ella / usted | nosotros | ellos / ustedes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| querer | quiero | quieres | quiere | queremos | quieren |
| necesitar | necesito | necesitas | necesita | necesitamos | necesitan |
Quisiera is a special form of querer (the subjunctive), used to sound polite. For now, learn it as a fixed phrase: quisiera + a thing or an action.