Today’s Spanish word of the day is “querer”.
It’s a verb meaning “to want” or “to love” depending on the context.
The phrase “querer decir” (literally “to want to say”) can be used to mean “to mean”, for example:
- ¿Qué quiere decir esta palabra? – What does this word mean?
The word “querer” comes from Latin quaerere, meaning “to ask” or “to seek”.
“Querer” is an irregular verb. Here’s how it’s conjugated in the present tense:
- Ellos/Ellas/Ustedes quieren – They want/love, You want/love (plural)
- Yo quiero – I want/love
- Tú quieres – You want/love (informal singular)
- Él/Ella/Usted quiere – He/She wants/loves, You want/love (formal singular)
- Nosotros/Nosotras queremos – We want/love
- Vosotros/Vosotras queréis – You want/love (informal plural, only used in Spain)
Example sentences
Te quiero mucho.
I love you very much.
Quiero una taza de café.
I want a cup of coffee.
¿Qué quieres para tu cumpleaños?
What do you want for your birthday?
Eso no quiere decir que tengas razón.
That doesn’t mean you’re right.
Quiero una pizza que me ame de vuelta.
I want a pizza that loves me back.
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