Querer (to want) has an irregular stem quis- in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish.
Learn how to conjugate "querer" in El Pretérito Indefinido in Spanish
yo |
quise |
tú |
quisiste |
él/ella/Ud. |
quiso |
nosotros / nosotras |
quisimos |
vosotros / vosotras |
quisisteis |
ellos/ellas/Uds. |
quisieron |
Here are some examples to read and listen to:
Querer belongs to a group of verbs that all have an irregular stem but share the same set of endings. To learn more about this have a look at Irregulares en Indefinido/mismas terminaciones.
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Examples and resources
Conjugate querer in the preterite tense in Spanish (El Pretérito Indefinido)
No accent on final vowel
I see here that querer does not have an accent for the first person preterito indefinido: quise, whereas some verbs have one, like compré - is there a rule that I can apply to distinguish it, or is it just because querer is irregular?
Thanks
Hola Adam
There is a rule indeed, or I should say a group of verbs that all have a different stem but they share the same endings and don't have the accent on the last syllable. You can see the link at the bottom of that lesson about querer in the preterite. Here's the link.
Saludos
Inma
No accent on final vowel
I see here that querer does not have an accent for the first person preterito indefinido: quise, whereas some verbs have one, like compré - is there a rule that I can apply to distinguish it, or is it just because querer is irregular?
Thanks
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Tried or wanted or both?
Can querer in pretérito indefinido mean either wanted or tried?
Hola Tara
Yes, querer in the preterite tense has that nuance: tried;
Here is a kwiziq lesson on that topic that will help. Have a look:
Querer in the preterite vs the imperfect
I hope it's useful.
Saludos
Inma
Tried or wanted or both?
Can querer in pretérito indefinido mean either wanted or tried?
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Simple Past Querer - to want, or to try?
How does this lesson fit with the other lesson "Using Querer in El Preterito Indefinido vs. El Preterito Imperfecto", which seems to be saying that querer in the Simple Past means "to try"?
Simple Past Querer - to want, or to try?
How does this lesson fit with the other lesson "Using Querer in El Preterito Indefinido vs. El Preterito Imperfecto", which seems to be saying that querer in the Simple Past means "to try"?
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Why 'reservar en' instead of just 'reservar'?
For the sentence:
Ustedes quisieron reservar en este hotel.
Hola Connor
We sometimes say literally to book in somewhere using reservar en + place. It is as if we were omitting what we are booking, so, booking "a room" is implicit, i.e "reservar una habitación en un hotel" (reservar en un hotel) or "reservar una mesa en un restaurante" (reservar en un restaurante).
I hope this clarified it.
Saludos
Inma
Why 'reservar en' instead of just 'reservar'?
For the sentence:
Ustedes quisieron reservar en este hotel.
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Vosotros quisisteis comprar flores a Manuela
Vosotros quisisteis comprar flores a Manuela.
Hi! In the above sentence, if the flowers were a present, would they buy them "para" instead of "a" Manuela? Just wondering if I'm correct that the "a" makes it more like a service than a present.
Hola Gabor
I don't think there is a difference -I would say they mean the same.
The other thing that comes to my mind is that you would use"para" instead of "a" to make absolutely clear that you are buying something for someone (that someone receives it); because comprar algo a alguien could also mean that you buy something "from/off" someone:
Compré unos pasteles a Rosa.
I bought some cake for Rosa or I bought some cakes from Rosa (maybe Rosa sells cakes)
In this case, to make sure you mean for her, not from her, we'd use "para Rosa".
Saludos
Inma
Good to know, thank you Inma!
Vosotros quisisteis comprar flores a Manuela
Vosotros quisisteis comprar flores a Manuela.
Hi! In the above sentence, if the flowers were a present, would they buy them "para" instead of "a" Manuela? Just wondering if I'm correct that the "a" makes it more like a service than a present.
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