querer preterite conjugation
Querer (to want/love) in the preterite: quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron.
Pretérito indefinido Preterite
| yo | regular: querí |
|---|---|
| tú | regular: queriste |
| él/ella/usted | regular: querió |
| nosotros | regular: querimos |
| vosotros | regular: queristeis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | regular: querieron |
ending regular · irr breaks the pattern · tap a form to hear it
When to use the preterite
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How it is formed
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Querer is irregular here. 6 of 6 forms break the pattern (dark tiles above); the regular pattern would give querí, queriste, querió, querimos, queristeis, querieron.
Read more: Preterite vs imperfect: when to use each
Querer in a sentence
- Quiero un café, por favor.I want a coffee, please.
- Ella quería viajar a España.She wanted to travel to Spain.
Stem-changing (e→ie); also means 'to love' in personal relationships.
FAQ
What is the preterite of querer?
Querer in the Spanish preterite: yo quise, tú quisiste, él/ella/usted quiso, nosotros quisimos, vosotros quisisteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes quisieron.
Is querer irregular in the preterite?
Yes. 6 of 6 forms break the regular pattern: yo quise (regular would be querí); tú quisiste (regular would be queriste); él/ella/usted quiso (regular would be querió); nosotros quisimos (regular would be querimos); vosotros quisisteis (regular would be queristeis); ellos/ellas/ustedes quisieron (regular would be querieron).
When do you use the Spanish preterite?
The preterite (pretérito indefinido) is the past tense for completed actions with a clear start or end: “Ayer hice la cena.” For background, habits and ongoing states in the past, Spanish uses the imperfect instead.
How is the preterite formed?
Regular endings: -ar → é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron; -er/-ir → í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron. Many common verbs use an irregular stem (hic-, tuv-, estuv-, pud-, quis-, dij-) with unstressed endings -e, -iste, -o, -imos, -isteis, -ieron.
Full querer conjugation, all tenses →
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