quisieras
/ki-SEE-eh-ras/
would like (you)
Visualizing 'would like (you)' as a polite invitation: a friendly offering.
quisieras(verb)
would like (you)
?polite request or invitation
wanted (you)
?used as a softener in questions
📝 In Action
¿Qué quisieras beber, un café o un té?
A2What would you like to drink, a coffee or a tea?
Si quisieras venir, la fiesta empieza a las ocho.
B1If you would like to come, the party starts at eight.
Yo no sé si tú quisieras hablar de esto ahora.
B2I don't know if you would want to talk about this right now.
💡 Grammar Points
The Politeness Softener
'Quisieras' is technically a special past verb form (the imperfect subjunctive), but native speakers use it in the present to make requests sound much softer and more formal than using the standard 'querrías' (conditional).
Use with 'If'
You often see 'quisieras' after 'si' (if) when talking about a polite or hypothetical choice: 'Si quisieras venir, avísame.' (If you would like to come, let me know.)
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Past and Polite
Mistake: "Thinking 'quisieras' must always refer to a past desire."
Correction: In most daily conversations, 'quisieras' refers to a present desire or future action, used purely for politeness.
⭐ Usage Tips
Sounding Natural
When ordering food or inviting someone, always use 'quisieras' or 'quisiera' (I would like) to sound like a native speaker. 'Quiero' (I want) can sound too direct.
Visualizing '(that) you wanted,' showing a simple, past desire or wish.
📝 In Action
Dudaba mucho que tú quisieras estudiar esa carrera.
B2I strongly doubted that you wanted to study that major.
Era necesario que tú quisieras el cambio para que funcionara.
C1It was necessary that you wanted the change for it to work.
💡 Grammar Points
The Past Hypothetical
This form is required when the main part of the sentence expresses an emotion, doubt, or lack of certainty, and the action of 'wanting' happened in the past.
Trigger Phrases
Look for phrases like 'Yo dudaba que...' (I doubted that...) or 'Era importante que...' (It was important that...), which often force the verb that follows into this special past form.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: quisieras
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'quisieras' in its primary, polite request function?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'quisieras' (a past tense form) mean 'would like' (a present conditional)?
Using a past or hypothetical verb form (like 'quisieras') is a linguistic trick used in many languages, including Spanish, to soften a request. By pushing the desire into a hypothetical or past state, it makes the request less demanding and therefore more polite. It's similar to saying, 'I was hoping you would like...' in English.
Is 'quisieras' only used with 'tú'?
Yes, 'quisieras' is specifically the form for 'tú' (you, singular informal). If you were speaking to a formal acquaintance or a group, you would use 'quisiera' (for Usted) or 'quisieran' (for Ustedes).