Can someone please give me the precise translation of "quisiera", as in Quisiera andare hoy. Thanks. ...wdc

"Quisiera" = "I Would like" or "I would want" or also "He/She would like/want". (corrections anyone?? I welcome them)

Today I just found a pretty good free online translation service at www.FreeTranslation.com . I was doing some translation today and, while not perfect, was very very close even with the different tenses.

MM is right.

If the expression goes alone, like in wdc's message, it would mean that it's me who 'would like to walk today' but it could mean he/she 'would ...', by adding 'el' or 'ella'.

Just one thing:

it is not "andare" but "andar" (to walk)

The construction is: Quisiera (verb) + andar (infinitive as a sustantive).

Quisiera is used with various persons:

Yo quisiera/quisiese (I would want)
Tú quisieras/quisieses (You would want)
Él/Ella quisiera/quisiese (He/she/it would want)
Nosotros quisiéramos/quisiésemos (We would want)
Vosotros quisierais/quisieseis (You would want)
Ellos quisieran/quisiesen (They would want)

Fernando

Fernando: Thanks for your clarification.
Yo quisiera/quisiese (I would want)
Tú quisieras/quisieses (You would want)
Él/Ella quisiera/quisiese (He/she/it would want)
Nosotros quisiéramos/quisiésemos (We would want)
Vosotros quisierais/quisieseis (You would want)
Ellos quisieran/quisiesen (They would want)

Would you further explain the difference between the Quisiera and the Quisiese forms?
Are they interchangeable, or what?
...wdc

They are just the same. You can use either, but the usual one es the 'quisiera' form.

I'm with wdc202. I've never seen or heard of the "Yo quisiese" form. Can someone explain the history of this and is it still widely used today in all of Spain? Thanks!

As a matter of fact, it exists. However, it is only used in rare ocasions, i.e. quisiera que vinieses (vinieras) a mi fiesta.

You can see it in this link about halfway in the page, some lines above a phrase in red, and some lines below:

Enlace a gramática

He dedicates such few attention to it for it is a rather unusual expression.

[ 08-24-2001: Message edited by: Ignacio ]

I have observed 'quisiera' used in a kind of wishful of way as a single word response one might make when asked if they had seen some popular attraction: sort of like ¡Ojala!

Quisiera means literally I wish ... Exactly the same translation of ojalá. Did you know that ojalá is one of the few words that comes from arabs/moorishs? oj-allah I have been told means I wish Allah wants ...(quiera Alá)