Preferir means to prefer. Learn five tenses, then practise each person.
Present: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, preferís, prefieren.
Preferir in the present tense
Use the present for current states, habits and actions. The subject can be omitted when the verb makes it clear.
Vosotros is informal plural you in Spain. Ustedes uses the ellos/ellas form and is the usual plural you in Latin America.
Preferir in the preterite tense
Use the preterite for a completed event in the past, viewed as a whole.
Preferir in the imperfect tense
Use the imperfect for past habits, ongoing situations and background descriptions, without marking their endpoint.
Preferir in the future tense
Use the simple future for what will happen. Spanish also uses this tense for a guess about the present.
Preferir in the conditional tense
Use the conditional for what would happen, a polite request or a hypothetical situation.
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All six persons. Blue, bold forms differ from regular endings, including spelling changes that preserve pronunciation.
| Person | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | prefiero | preferí | prefería | preferiré | preferiría |
| tú | prefieres | preferiste | preferías | preferirás | preferirías |
| él / ella / usted | prefiere | prefirió | prefería | preferirá | preferiría |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferimos | preferimos | preferíamos | preferiremos | preferiríamos |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferís | preferisteis | preferíais | preferiréis | preferiríais |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | prefieren | prefirieron | preferían | preferirán | preferirían |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | prefiero | I prefer |
| tú | prefieres | you prefer |
| él / ella / usted | prefiere | he/she prefers |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferimos | we prefer |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferís | you all (vosotros) prefer |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | prefieren | they prefer |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | preferí | I preferred |
| tú | preferiste | you preferred |
| él / ella / usted | prefirió | he/she preferred |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferimos | we preferred |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferisteis | you all (vosotros) preferred |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | prefirieron | they preferred |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | prefería | I used to prefer |
| tú | preferías | you used to prefer |
| él / ella / usted | prefería | he/she used to prefer |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferíamos | we used to prefer |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferíais | you all (vosotros) used to prefer |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | preferían | they used to prefer |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | preferiré | I will prefer |
| tú | preferirás | you will prefer |
| él / ella / usted | preferirá | he/she will prefer |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferiremos | we will prefer |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferiréis | you all (vosotros) will prefer |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | preferirán | they will prefer |
| Person | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| yo | preferiría | I would prefer |
| tú | preferirías | you would prefer |
| él / ella / usted | preferiría | he/she would prefer |
| nosotros / nosotras | preferiríamos | we would prefer |
| vosotros / vosotras | preferiríais | you all (vosotros) would prefer |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | preferirían | they would prefer |
Preferir differs from the regular endings in the present, preterite. Changed forms include present: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere; preterite: prefirió, prefirieron. Highlighted forms include spelling changes that preserve pronunciation as well as irregular stems and endings.
The present forms are prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, preferís, prefieren, in the order yo, tú, él/ella/usted, nosotros, vosotros and ellos/ellas/ustedes.
preferí, preferiste, prefirió, preferimos, preferisteis, prefirieron. For example, preferí means “I preferred”.
Preferir differs from the regular endings in the present, preterite. Changed forms include present: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere; preterite: prefirió, prefirieron. Highlighted forms include spelling changes that preserve pronunciation as well as irregular stems and endings.
The preterite (preferí) presents a completed event; the imperfect (prefería) gives a past habit or background situation. The English glosses are “I preferred” and “I used to prefer”, but context determines the best translation.
The yo forms are preferiré (“I will prefer”) and preferiría (“I would prefer”). The full charts above include every person.
Preferir means to prefer.
Updated · English prompts, Spanish answers.