quêro

See also: quero and Quero

Macanese

Etymology

From Portuguese quero, first-person singular present form of querer, whence querê. Sometimes considered a de-creolized and hypercorrected form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɛ.ɾu/

Verb

quêro

1. (following nôm or nâm) negative form of querê: to not want

   Êle nôm-quêro vai ― He does not want to go

   Nôm quêro vai meza armuça, mas nunca deça de comê escondito minha rosca melua.

   I don't want to have lunch at the table, but I must secretly eat my rosca melua.

   Ai, iou qui discarado, azinha iscondê, nôm quêro olâ!

   I was so ashamed that I quickly hid and did not want to look at it any more!

2. (in verb-nôm-verb format) interrogative form of querê: want or not?

   Synonym: (in regular questions) querê

   Vôs quêro nôm-quêro comprâ?

   Do you want to buy or not?

Usage notes

• Seemingly must always follow nôm or nâm.
• querê is possibly the only verb in Macanese to have a distinct negative form quêro. Most Macanese verbs are derived from the Portuguese infinitive form, some of them from a present tense (first- or third-person) conjugation; "to want" seems to be the only case with both.