Polite requests in Spanish: querría, quería and quisiera to politely say "I would like"

Polite requests in Spanish with querría, quisiera, quería

In Spanish, the verb querer (to want/wish) is used in different ways as a form of courtesy and politeness, in order to ask for things.

Querría = I would like
Quisiera = I would like           +  [something] / + [to do something]
Quería = I would like

Have a look at these examples:

Querría un vino blanco por favor.I would like a glass of white wine please.

Quisiera un vino blanco por favor.I would like a glass of white wine please.

Quería un vino blanco por favor.I would like a glass of white wine please.

Querría hablar con el Señor Gómez, por favor.I would like to speak with Mr. Gómez please.

Quisiera hablar con el Señor Gómez por favor.I would like to speak with Mr. Gómez please.

Quería hablar con el Señor Gómez por favor.I would like to speak with Mr. Gómez please.

These courtesy formulas in Spanish are generally used in specific situations, like when ordering food and drink, on the telephone, or in a bank, for example. However, it is more common in Spanish to use verb gustar to express: "I would like to do something" in a more general way.

 See a more advanced lesson: Using gustar in the conditional in Spanish = would like [to do something]

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Examples and resources

Querría un vino blanco por favor.I would like a glass of white wine please.
Quisiera un vino blanco por favor.I would like a glass of white wine please.
Quería hablar con el Señor Gómez por favor.I would like to speak with Mr. Gómez please.
Querría hablar con el Señor Gómez, por favor.I would like to speak with Mr. Gómez please.
Quisiera hablar con el Señor Gómez por favor.I would like to speak with Mr. Gómez please.
Quería un vino blanco por favor.I would like a glass of white wine please.
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