A1 · Unit 3 · Lesson 3
Querer and poder: wants and requests
Ordering food, asking permission, and making polite requests with two essential irregular verbs.
Two irregular verbs power most polite life in Brazil — “querer” (to want) for ordering and asking, “poder” (can/may) for permission and requests.
Querer — wanting and ordering
quero, quer, queremos, querem. Use it to order or to say what you'd like.
Conjugate it — querer
Present · reveal each person, then keep the cheat card.
Eu quero água.
I want water.
Ela quer sair.
She wants to leave.
Nós queremos ficar.
We want to stay.
Poder — can, may, and requests
posso, pode, podemos, podem. It covers ability, permission, and asking someone to do something.
Conjugate it — poder
Present · reveal each person, then keep the cheat card.
Posso entrar?
May I come in?
Você pode esperar?
Can you wait?
Eles não podem ir.
They can't go.
Softening with “queria” and “poderia”
To sound polite, swap “quero” for “queria” (I'd like) and “pode” for “poderia” (could you). Both are gentler, especially with strangers.
Spot the pattern
To sound gentler, shift the verb one step back. Predict the polite version.
Queria um cafezinho, por favor.
I'd like a little coffee, please.
Poderia me ajudar?
Could you help me?
Queríamos reservar uma mesa.
We'd like to reserve a table.
Common mistakes
- — “Queria” isn't a mistake for “quero” — it's the polite softener, like the English “I'd like”.
- — After querer/poder, the next verb stays in its dictionary form: “quero comer”, “posso ver”.
- — “Você quer…?” is already a normal invitation; you don't need an extra word for “would”.
14 exercises · pass at 85% · missed items return until you clear them