Querer vs gostar

Sorry you may have explained it somewhere, but I am unsure when to use either querer or gostar. Are there any particular rules to know pls? Is ‘i’d Like to…’ translated as gostaria or queria, or are they interchangeable? Thank you! All advice is greatly appreciated:)

@peterjduffy, gostar is the default translation for to like, but queria and gostaria are pretty much interchangeable in the conditional/imperfect when ordering/asking for something (“I would like…”). They are not interchangeable in other tenses or contexts.

When making an order, queria seems to be used more often than gostaria for the order itself, but gostaria is probably the preferred choice when someone is first asking us about it. For example:

  • Waiter: Boa noite. O que gostaria de pedir? (first request for order)
  • Patron: Boa noite. Eu queria um copo de vinho, por favor. (making the order)

Note: It’s common to substitute gostaria for gostava, since the imperfect can act as the conditional in informal contexts, as noted at the end of this Learning Note: The Conditional in Portuguese

2 Likes

Thank you so much @Joseph ! That is really clear and helpful:D

1 Like