In English, we say, I wanted to do this and that... all_the_time.
To say the same thing in Portuguese, it’s tempting to say something like,
Eu estava querendo x & y....
Very clunky, right?
Brazilians will use the imperfect past form of QUERER to express this. Like this:
Eu queria fazer uma aula de yoga amanhã.You can think of this in two ways: I would like to do a class tomorrow... OU, I wanted to do a class tomorrow...
Use Queria in Portuguese to express either of these options. They're really the same thing, and queria is an elegant way to say it.
Let's look at another example:
Eu queria falar com você. ➜ I wanted to talk to you. (or, I was wanting to talk to you.)
Now try this one:
Ela queria te dizer uma coisa. ➜ She wanted to tell you something.
Notice the use of "te" instead of "você."
✻ In spoken Portuguese, 90% of the time, Brazilians use "te" instead of "você". It’s just a smoother and more natural way to say it.
Mais exemplos!
Why Use "Queria"
- ✱ It's Polite. Saying queria sounds softer and more respectful than quero (I want).
- ✱ It’s Versatile. You can use it for past, present, or even future intentions—without changing the verb form.
- ✱ It Sounds More Natural. Brazilians rarely say Eu estava querendo in casual speech. Just use Queria, and you’ll sound more fluent!
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