Desear Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish
The Spanish verb desear means to wish, to want. You can learn its forms from the full desear conjugation, but forms on their own are not enough: you need to see the verb in real sentences, in conversation, and in the mistakes people actually make. That is what this page is for. Below you will find example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the common mistakes, a ten-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions learners ask most. One sentence to start: Yo deseo un café. — "I want a coffee."
Desear example sentences
Everyday use — the present tense
- Yo deseo un café. — "I want a coffee."
- Tú deseas un buen resultado. — "you want a good result."
- Él desea un coche nuevo. — "he/she wants a new car."
- Nosotros deseamos feliz cumpleaños. — "we want a happy birthday."
Talking about the past
- Yo deseé un coche nuevo. — "I wanted a new car."
- Él deseaba feliz cumpleaños. — "he/she used to want a happy birthday."
- Nosotros deseamos lo mejor para ti. — "we wanted the best for you."
Plans and wishes
- Yo desearé lo mejor para ti. — "I will want the best for you."
- Tú desearías una casa más grande. — "you would want a bigger house."
More examples with desear
- Deseo un café, por favor. — "I want a coffee, please."
- Mi madre desea lo mejor para ti. — "My mother wishes the best for you."
- Ayer deseé mucha suerte a mi hermano. — "Yesterday I wished my brother good luck."
- De niña, deseaba un coche nuevo cada Navidad. — "As a girl, I used to want a new car every Christmas."
- Mañana desearé feliz cumpleaños a mi abuela. — "Tomorrow I will wish my grandmother a happy birthday."
- Si pudiera, desearía una casa más grande. — "If I could, I would want a bigger house."
Desear in conversation
Two short dialogues using desear naturally. Read them out loud: hearing the verb in a question and an answer is the fastest way to make the forms stick.
Dialogue 1: making plans
María: ¿Tú deseas un café? Carlos: Sí, yo deseo un café. ¿Y tú? María: Yo también. ¿Desea un buen resultado? Carlos: Sí, él desea un buen resultado todos los días. María: ¿Y mañana? ¿Tú desearás un coche nuevo? Carlos: Sí, mañana yo desearé un coche nuevo.
In this dialogue María asks Carlos what he does, and then they talk about tomorrow. Notice how the verb changes with the person: deseas for tú, deseo for yo, desea for él. The future forms at the end (desearás, desearé) show the same verb talking about tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: talking about yesterday
Ana: ¿Tú deseas feliz cumpleaños? Luis: Sí, yo deseo feliz cumpleaños. ¿Y tú? Ana: Yo también. ¿Desea lo mejor para ti? Luis: Sí, él desea lo mejor para ti todos los días. Ana: ¿Y ayer? ¿Tú deseaste feliz cumpleaños? Luis: Sí, ayer yo deseé feliz cumpleaños.
Here Ana asks Luis about yesterday, so the answers use the preterite: deseé for yo, deseaste for tú. The preterite is the right choice because yesterday is finished; the present would describe a habit instead.
Common mistakes with desear in the present
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.
1. Yo desea un café.
Wrong: Yo desea un café.
Right: Yo deseo un café.
The yo form ends in -o: deseo. Desea is the él/ella form.
2. Deseo a mi hermano mucha suerte.
Wrong: Deseo a mi hermano mucha suerte.
Right: Deseo mucha suerte a mi hermano.
The thing wished comes first and the person takes a: deseo mucha suerte a mi hermano. The other order is wrong.
3. Confusing desear with querer
Desear and querer both mean to want, but desear is more formal and is the verb for wishes: te deseo mucha suerte. Querer is the everyday choice: quiero un café.
4. Using the present for a finished past action
Wrong: Ayer yo deseo un café.
Right: Ayer yo deseé un café.
Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: deseé. The present describes what you do now or usually.
Quiz: desear in use
Ten questions across five tenses. Choose the right form for each sentence, then check the answers at the end of this section.
- Tú ___ un café (present)
- a) deseas
- b) deseo
- c) desea
- d) deseamos
- Nosotros ___ un buen resultado (preterite)
- a) deseé
- b) deseaste
- c) deseó
- d) deseamos
- Ellos ___ un coche nuevo (imperfect)
- a) deseabas
- b) deseaba
- c) deseaban
- d) deseaba
- Tú ___ feliz cumpleaños (future)
- a) desearemos
- b) desearás
- c) desearé
- d) deseará
- Nosotros ___ lo mejor para ti (conditional)
- a) desearíamos
- b) desearía
- c) desearías
- d) desearía
- Ellos ___ una casa más grande (present)
- a) deseo
- b) deseas
- c) desea
- d) desean
- Tú ___ un café (preterite)
- a) deseó
- b) deseamos
- c) deseaste
- d) deseé
- Nosotros ___ un buen resultado (imperfect)
- a) deseaba
- b) deseábamos
- c) deseaba
- d) deseabas
- Ellos ___ un coche nuevo (future)
- a) desearán
- b) desearé
- c) desearás
- d) deseará
- Tú ___ feliz cumpleaños (conditional)
- a) desearía
- b) desearía
- c) desearíamos
- d) desearías
Answers
- a) deseas — the present form, for tú.
- d) deseamos — the preterite form, for nosotros/as.
- c) deseaban — the imperfect form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- b) desearás — the future form, for tú.
- a) desearíamos — the conditional form, for nosotros/as.
- d) desean — the present form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- c) deseaste — the preterite form, for tú.
- b) deseábamos — the imperfect form, for nosotros/as.
- a) desearán — the future form, for ellos/ellas/Uds..
- d) desearías — the conditional form, for tú.
Frequently asked questions about desear
What is the difference between desear and querer?
Desear is more formal and is used for wishes: deseo mucha suerte. Querer is the everyday verb for wanting: quiero un café. Desear also works for wanting things, but it sounds more polite or more formal.
Is desear regular?
Yes, desear is a regular -ar verb: deseo, deseas, desea, deseamos, deseáis, desean.
What are the gerund and the past participle of desear?
The gerund is deseando, used with estar for the progressive (estoy deseando), and the past participle is deseado, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he deseado).
Is desear regular?
Yes, it is a regular -ar verb. The present is deseo, deseas, desea, deseamos, deseáis, desean, and the full tables are on the desear conjugation page.
How to remember desear
Four small habits will fix desear in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: deseo, deseas, desea, deseamos, deseáis, desean. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (deseo), one about yesterday with the preterite (deseé), and one about tomorrow with the future (desearé). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from querer: Desear and querer both mean to want, but desear is more formal and is the verb for wishes: te deseo mucha suerte. Querer is the everyday choice: quiero un café. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund deseando and the past participle deseado. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy deseando) and the present perfect (he deseado), which covers most everyday conversation.
Related pages
- Desear conjugation: full tables — every tense of desear on one page.
- Desear Present tense — the deep dive on desear in the present.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for all Spanish verbs on VerbFlow.
- Spanish verb quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.
- Conjugation practice — fill-in-the-blank drills with instant feedback.