Queiro verses deseo?

Question

I always use " Queries " when asking my son if he would like a cup of coffee.

I have been told, that is like saying " Want coffee" and I should be using " deseo" because it is more like asking " Would you like a cup of coffee" Should I be using " Deseo" ? Is it interchangeable ?

I was corrected by my father who is from Puerto Rico.

After looking at the translation of the noun "deseo" it doesn't seem like I should be using it this way, so confused.

Please help

Answer 1

They mean pretty much the same thing, except when used with people, where desear can have a more sexual connotation (querer for love).

I see querer much more often than desear for objects and such (like coffee).

¿Quieres café? vs. ¿Deseas café?

I've never seen the latter used in this kind of context, but it probably depends on the region as well. Desear is not more polite than querer. Think of english: want vs. desire. There's lots of subtle differences, but generally they mean the same thing.

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Deseo is the yo form of desear, so you'd be saying I want coffee. If you're asking somebody, usually you'd use the tú form, which is deseas.

short answer: Quieres works perfectly and as far as I know, it's used more this way.

Answer 2

Awesome answer!

Thank you for explaining with such detail. Makes a lot of sense. Thanks again.