querer decir

Spanish

Etymology

Literally, “to want to say”. Compare Portuguese querer dizer, Catalan voler dir and French vouloir dire.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /keˌɾeɾ deˈθiɾ/ [keˌɾeɾ ð̞eˈθiɾ] (Spain)
  • IPA(key): /keˌɾeɾ deˈsiɾ/ [keˌɾeɾ ð̞eˈsiɾ] (Latin America, Philippines)
  • Syllabification: que‧rer de‧cir

Verb

querer decir (first-person singular present quiero decir, first-person singular preterite quise decir, past participle querido decir)

  1. (idiomatic) to mean, to get at, to be getting at (in the sense of the want to convey something)
    ¿Qué quieres decir?
    What do you mean?
    (literally, “What do you want to say?”)
    ¿Entiendes lo que quiero decir?
    Do you see what I'm getting at?

Derived terms

Further reading

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