querer Imperfect Conjugation
querer — to want
The imperfect of querer is regular: quería, querías, quería, queríamos, queríais, querían.
querer Imperfect Forms
When to Use the Imperfect
Use the imperfect to describe ongoing mental states or desires in the past. Unlike the preterite, this usually just means 'wanted' without the 'tried' nuance.
Notes on querer in the Imperfect
Querer is completely regular in the imperfect. It follows the standard -er verb pattern.
Example Sentences
De niño, quería ser astronauta.
As a child, I wanted to be an astronaut.
yo
Nosotros queríamos salir, pero estaba lloviendo.
We wanted to go out, but it was raining.
nosotros
Ellos querían comprar entradas, pero ya no había.
They wanted to buy tickets, but there weren't any left.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Confusing 'quería' with 'querría'.
Correct: Quería is past tense (wanted); querría is conditional (would want).
Why: The single 'r' is for the imperfect; the double 'rr' is for the conditional.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: quiero
Querer is a stem-changing verb where the 'e' becomes 'ie' in all forms except nosotros and vosotros.
Preterite
yo: quise
The preterite of querer uses the irregular stem 'quis-' with endings like quise, quisiste, and quiso.
Future
yo: querré
The future tense of querer uses the irregular stem 'querr-' followed by standard future endings.
Conditional
yo: querría
The conditional uses the irregular stem 'querr-' with endings like querría, querrías, querría.
Present Subjunctive
yo: quiera
The present subjunctive follows the e > ie stem change: quiera, quieras, quiera, queramos, queráis, quieran.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: quisiera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'quis-' stem from the preterite: quisiera, quisieras, quisiera.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: quiere
The imperative of querer is rarely used, but follows the standard command forms: quiere, quiera, quered, quieran.
Negative Imperative
yo: no quieras
The negative imperative uses the present subjunctive: no quieras, no quiera, no queramos, no queráis, no quieran.