Querer Preterite Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The preterite of querer — to want — is the form you need for finished actions in the past. Querer means to want and to love: quiero un café, te quiero. It is an e → ie stem-changing verb in the present (quiero, quieres, quiere) with the irregular preterite quise and the future stem querr-. In the preterite it often means tried or refused: no quise ir means I refused to go. This page gives you the complete preterite table for querer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ayer yo quise llamarte, pero no pude.” — “Yesterday I wanted to call you, but I could not”.

Preterite conjugation of querer

Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for querer. Querer is an e → ie stem-changing irregular -er verb (irregular in preterite, future, conditional, imperfect-subjunctive), so watch out for the forms that break the pattern — they are the ones learners need to memorise.

Preterite indicative — querer

Person Form
yo quise
tú quisiste
él/ella/Ud. quiso
nosotros/as quisimos
vosotros/as quisisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. quisieron

The gerund of querer is queriendo and the past participle is querido. The participle matters here because the preterite is often confused with the perfect tenses — keep them apart.

How the preterite of querer is formed

The preterite of querer does not follow the regular pattern. If querer were regular, the preterite forms would be yo → querí, tú → queriste, él/ella/Ud. → querió, nosotros/as → querimos, vosotros/as → queristeis, ellos/ellas/Uds. → querieron — but querer breaks the pattern in this tense: the forms are quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis and quisieron.

The preterite stem here is quis-, which you cannot get from the infinitive by rule — it has to be learnt as part of the verb. The endings then attach to that stem: quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis and quisieron. This is the same pattern the verb follows in the imperfect subjunctive, which is built on the preterite third-person plural, so learning the preterite pays twice.

A note on spelling: none of the preterite forms of querer carries a written accent, which is one less thing to memorise — but do not add one by habit. Copy the forms from the table above exactly as written.

When to use the preterite of querer

1. Completed actions at a specific time

Use the preterite for an action that started and finished in the past. For example, with querer: “Ayer yo quise llamarte, pero no pude.” — “Yesterday I wanted to call you, but I could not”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

2. A sequence of actions

Use the preterite to list one finished action after another. For example, with querer: “Ella quiso estudiar medicina.” — “She wanted to study medicine”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

3. Actions that interrupt an ongoing situation

Use the preterite for the action that breaks into a longer background scene. For example, with querer: “Nosotros quisimos ver la película, pero estaba llena.” — “We wanted to see the film, but it was sold out”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

4. Sudden changes and achievements

Use the preterite for a change of state or something achieved at one moment. For example, with querer: “Ellos no quisieron pagar tanto dinero.” — “They refused to pay so much money”. Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.

Preterite vs imperfect: querer finished, querer in progress

The preterite and the imperfect are the two past tenses, and choosing between them is the hardest decision in Spanish past-tense grammar. The preterite is for what happened and finished; the imperfect is for what was happening, what used to happen, and the background. Compare the pairs below — the preterite form comes from this page, the imperfect form from the full conjugation table.

  • Preterite tense: “Ayer yo quise un café.” — “Yesterday I wanted a coffee.”

  • Imperfect: “De niño, yo quería un café.” — “As a child, I used to want a coffee.”

  • Preterite tense: “Ella quiso un café a las ocho.” — “She wanted a coffee at eight.”

  • Imperfect: “Ella quería un café cada día.” — “She used to want a coffee every day.”

  • Preterite tense: “Nosotros quisimos un café el sábado.” — “We wanted a coffee on Saturday.”

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros queríamos un café todos los sábados.” — “We used to want a coffee every Saturday.”

Example sentences: querer in the preterite

Six sentences using only the preterite of querer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.

  • “Ayer yo quise llamarte, pero no pude.” — “Yesterday I wanted to call you, but I could not.”
  • “Ella quiso estudiar medicina.” — “She wanted to study medicine.”
  • “Nosotros quisimos ver la película, pero estaba llena.” — “We wanted to see the film, but it was sold out.”
  • “Ellos no quisieron pagar tanto dinero.” — “They refused to pay so much money.”
  • “¿Tú quisiste ir a la fiesta?” — “Did you want to go to the party?”
  • “El niño quiso un helado de chocolate.” — “The child wanted a chocolate ice cream.”

Common mistakes with querer in the preterite

Mistake 1

Wrong: Yo quero un café.

Right: Yo quise un café.

Querer changes e to ie in the present: quiero, not quero.

Mistake 2

Wrong: Ayer yo querí llamarte.

Right: Ayer yo quise llamarte.

The preterite is quise, from the irregular quis- stem — never querí.

Mistake 3

Wrong: Using the plain stem in a stressed form.

Right: Use the changed stem: quise.

The e → ie stem change applies to the stressed forms of querer — the yo form is quise, not the plain stem.

Quiz: querer in the preterite

Eight questions on the preterite of querer. Answers with explanations follow each question.

1. What is the yo form of querer in the preterite?

  • A) quise
  • B) quisiste
  • C) quiso
  • D) quisimos

Answer: A — The yo form in the preterite is quise.

2. What is the tú form of querer in the preterite?

  • A) quise
  • B) quiso
  • C) quisimos
  • D) quisiste

Answer: D — The tú form in the preterite is quisiste.

3. What is the él/ella/Ud. form of querer in the preterite?

  • A) quisiste
  • B) quisimos
  • C) quiso
  • D) quise

Answer: C — The él/ella/Ud. form in the preterite is quiso.

4. What is the nosotros/as form of querer in the preterite?

  • A) quiso
  • B) quisimos
  • C) quise
  • D) quisiste

Answer: B — The nosotros/as form in the preterite is quisimos.

5. Fill in the blank: “Ayer yo ___ llamarte, pero no pude.” (Yesterday I wanted to call you, but I could not.)

  • A) quise
  • B) quisiste
  • C) quiso
  • D) quisimos

Answer: A — The sentence needs quise.

6. Fill in the blank: “Ella ___ estudiar medicina.” (She wanted to study medicine.)

  • A) quise
  • B) quisiste
  • C) quisimos
  • D) quiso

Answer: D — The sentence needs quiso.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Yo quero un café.
  • B) Yo quise un café.

Answer: B — Querer changes e to ie in the present: quiero, not quero.

8. Which sentence is correct?

  • A) Ayer yo quise llamarte.
  • B) Ayer yo querí llamarte.

Answer: A — The preterite is quise, from the irregular quis- stem — never querí.

Frequently asked questions

Is querer regular in the preterite?

No. querer is irregular in the preterite: the forms are quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis and quisieron. There is no rule that produces them from the infinitive, so they have to be learnt as a set — the quiz above is a good place to start.

What is the yo form of querer in the preterite?

It is quise. The yo form is the one learners use most and the one that most often breaks the pattern — for querer it is the form to learn first, before the rest of the table.

When do I use the preterite of querer instead of the present?

Use the preterite when the action is finished and tied to a specific moment — yesterday, last week, at eight o’clock. If the action was ongoing, habitual, or just background to another event, the imperfect is the right choice, not the preterite.

How can I remember the preterite forms of querer?

Say the six forms aloud in order — quise, quisiste, quiso, quisimos, quisisteis, quisieron — three times a day for a week, always in a sentence, never as a bare list. Then use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test yourself, and the full conjugation page for querer to see the verb in every tense.

Say it yourself

Reading is not enough — say the verb aloud before you move on. Use the forms from the tables on this page and answer these three prompts as full sentences. First, say a sentence about yourself in the present tense: “Yo quiero…”. Second, say a sentence about yesterday in the preterite: “Ayer yo quise…”. Third, say a sentence about tomorrow in the future: “Mañana yo querré…”. If you can answer all three without looking at the tables, the forms are starting to stick. If you hesitate, go back to the examples above, read them aloud twice, and try again. Speaking the forms is what turns a table you have seen into a verb you can use.

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