Spanish learners often hit a wall when they get to the future tense. They think it's easy because you just slap an ending onto the infinitive. Usually, that's true. But then you try to say "I will want" and suddenly querer in future tense makes everything messy.
You can't just say quereré. It sounds wrong because it is wrong.
Language is a living thing, and Spanish is particularly fond of shaving off vowels to make words move faster. When we talk about the future, we’re looking at a conjugation that feels clunky if you stick to the rules. So, we break them. Honestly, if you've ever felt like your tongue was tripping over the double 'r' in querré, you're not alone. Native speakers have been optimizing this for centuries.
The Irregularity Nobody Warns You About
Most Spanish verbs follow a predictable pattern in the future. You take the whole verb—like comer—and add -é, -ás, -á. Easy. But querer in future tense decides to be difficult. It drops the 'e' from the infinitive ending.
Instead of querer-, your stem becomes querr-.
That double 'r' is vital. Without it, you’re saying something else entirely, or just making sounds that confuse your waiter in Madrid. You have to roll that 'r' with some serious intent. It’s the difference between a smooth sentence and a total breakdown in communication.
Think about the way we say "will" in English. Sometimes we contract it to "'ll" because "I will go" feels too formal for a casual Tuesday. Spanish does the same thing by collapsing the verb. The "e" just got in the way of the flow, so the R's crashed together.
Conjugating Querré Without Sounding Like a Robot
Let’s look at how this actually plays out when you’re speaking.
For "I will want," you use yo querré.
For "you will want," it's tú querrás.
He, she, or formal "you" becomes él/ella/usted querrá.
It continues like that. Nosotros querremos. Vosotros querréis. Ellos querrán.
The stress is almost always on the final syllable, except for the nosotros form. That’s a trap people fall into. They try to stress the end of querremos, but the accent actually stays on the "e" in the middle. It sounds more like "keh-RREH-mohs." If you mess that up, people will still understand you, but you’ll sound like you’re reading from a dusty 1950s textbook.
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Why Do We Even Use This Tense?
In modern Spanish, people use the "ir + a + infinitive" structure for almost everything. "Voy a querer un café." I am going to want a coffee. It’s safe. It’s comfortable.
So why learn the actual future tense?
Because querer in future tense isn't just about what will happen. It’s about probability. It’s about "wondering" or "guessing" in the present moment. This is what the Real Academia Española (RAE) refers to as the futuro de probabilidad.
If someone asks why Juan isn't at the party, you might say, "Querrá estar solo."
In this context, you aren't saying "He will want to be alone" in the year 2027. You’re saying "He probably wants to be alone right now." It’s a nuance that separates intermediate learners from people who actually "get" the language. Using the future tense to express a hunch is a high-level move.
Real World Examples and Context
Let's get practical. Imagine you're planning a trip.
"Cuando lleguemos a México, querrás probar los tacos de al pastor."
(When we arrive in Mexico, you will want to try the tacos.)
Here, it’s a literal prediction. You are certain of a future desire. But what if you're talking about a stubborn kid?
"¿Por qué no come? Querrá más dulces, supongo."
(Why isn't he eating? He probably wants more candy, I guess.)
See the shift? The verb hasn't changed, but the meaning has. It’s about the vibe of the conversation. If you use va a querer here, the "probability" meaning vanishes. You’re just left with a literal statement about the future that feels slightly out of place.
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The Double R Struggle
Let’s talk about the physical act of saying querré.
A lot of English speakers struggle with the trilled 'r'. When you have two of them back-to-back in the middle of a word, it’s like a mini-workout for your mouth. If you can’t roll your R's yet, querer in future tense is going to be your nemesis.
Practice this: put your tongue against the roof of your mouth, right behind your front teeth. Breathe out and let the tip of your tongue vibrate. Don't force it. It's more about the air than the muscle.
If you can't get it, don't sweat it too much. Even a "tapped" R is better than skipping the letter entirely. But if you want to sound authentic, you need that trill. It signals to the listener that you're using the future tense and not the conditional (querría).
Misconceptions About Querré vs. Querría
This is where things get really messy.
Querré (Future): I will want.
Querría (Conditional): I would want.
They sound incredibly similar if you aren't paying attention. One ends in a sharp "eh" sound, the other in a long "ee-ah."
In a restaurant, you’ll hear people say "Quisiera," which is the past subjunctive, but used as a polite "I would like." You will almost never hear someone use querré to order food. It’s too forceful. It’s too "certain."
"I will want the chicken."
It sounds like a demand from a movie villain. Use the future tense for predictions or guesses, but stick to quisiera or me gustaría for being a polite human being.
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The Evolution of the Irregularity
Why is it irregular anyway?
Back in Vulgar Latin, the future tense was actually two words. It was the infinitive plus a form of "to have" (habere). So, querer + he became quereré.
Over time, Spanish speakers got lazy. We all do it. We shorten "do not" to "don't." In Spanish, the "e" in the middle of quereré was a weak vowel. It didn't have the stress. As people spoke faster, that "e" just evaporated.
What was left were two R's that merged into one strong, trilled sound.
This happened to several verbs:
- Saber becomes sabré (not saberé).
- Poder becomes podré (not poderé).
- Haber becomes habré (not haberé).
Notice the pattern? They all lose that middle vowel. Once you see the pattern, querer in future tense stops feeling like an annoying exception and starts feeling like part of a logical system. It’s all about efficiency.
How to Practice Without Boring Yourself to Death
Forget grammar drills. They're soul-crushing and they don't work for long-term memory.
Instead, start making "probability" guesses throughout your day. Look at your dog sleeping and say, "Querrá dormir todo el día" (He probably wants to sleep all day). Look at your boss looking stressed and mutter, "Querrá un café" (She probably wants a coffee).
By using the verb to express "probably" in the present, you build the muscle memory for the conjugation without the pressure of needing to talk about the distant future.
Actionable Steps for Mastery
- Record yourself. Use your phone to record the word querrás. Listen back. Does it sound like querás (one R) or querrás (two R's)? If it’s the former, keep practicing the trill.
- Use the "Guessing Game." Next time you’re people-watching, guess what they want using the future tense. It’s a great way to bake the irregularity into your brain.
- Watch for it in media. Listen to Spanish music or watch Netflix in Spanish. You’ll notice that when a character is wondering about something, they often jump to this tense.
- Differentiate the endings. Spend five minutes just saying querré (future) vs querría (conditional). Feel where your jaw sits for each one.
Querer in future tense isn't just a grammar point; it's a tool for nuance. Once you stop fighting the irregular stem and embrace the double R, your Spanish starts sounding significantly more "real." You move away from the "I-go-to-the-store" level and into the "I-suspect-he-wants-to-go-to-the-store" level. And honestly, that’s where the fun starts.