ellos quisieron

(they) wanted, (they) tried

→ querer

quis want + ieron 3rd person plural past

verb · third plural · past indicative Rare #31,951

(they) wanted, (they) tried Third-person plural (ellos/ellas/ustedes) preterite of “querer.” It can mean “wanted,” and in some contexts “tried” (especially before an infinitive).

SP: Quisieron comprar una casa, pero no pudieron.

EN: They tried to buy a house, but they couldn’t.

Conjugation of querer

querer quererte quererlo

Indicative past

	Singular	Plural
First	quise	quisimos
Second	quisiste	—
Third	quiso	quisieron

Te quisieron.

They loved you.

Me presenté voluntario para hacerlo, pero no quisieron mi ayuda.

I volunteered to do it, but they didn't want my help.

Nos quisieron matar.

They tried to kill us.

— Buena suerte, pásalo bien, no mueras (2026)

Quisieron arrancar su cabeza.

They tried to tear off his head.

— Lazzaro feliz (2018)

Le quisieron obligar a firmar los papeles pero se negó.

They tried to force him to sign the papers, but he refused.

No quisieron.

They refused.

— El médico de Budapest (2020)

Es por eso que algunos veteranos nunca quisieron hablar de la guerra.

That's why some veterans never wanted to talk about the war.

No quisieron actuar, así que decidí hacerlo yo.

They didn't want to act, so I decided to do it myself.

Quisieron hacerla pasar por una de las víctimas de Serton.

They tried to pass her off as one of Serton's victims.

— No se lo digas a nadie (2006)