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Choose fast: strawberry or chocolate ice cream? Hot dogs or pizza? Rainy days or sunshine? Whatever you decide on, it\u2019s great to be aware of what your preferences are! Nonetheless, it can be hard to express those preferences in a different language. In today\u2019s article, we\u2019re going to fix that by looking at the Spanish verb preferir<\/strong>, meaning \u201cto prefer\u201d.<\/em> Once you\u2019ve learned how to conjugate preferir <\/strong>properly, you can talk to anyone about why you chose mint chocolate chip ice cream instead (we support that). We\u2019ll start by going over the basic rules of the verb preferir <\/strong>and why it can be hard to work with sometimes. Then, we\u2019ll move on to preferir <\/strong>conjugation, where we\u2019ll look at beginner, intermediate, and advanced verb tenses and conjugation tables. Finally, we\u2019ll end on a fun note, exploring some hit Spanish and Latin American songs that use the verb preferir<\/strong>\u00a0so that you can celebrate having worked your way through this article.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with an apology. If you\u2019ve been reading a lot of these blog posts, you know we really like to take you through irregular Spanish verbs. Preferir<\/strong> is yet another irregular verb that is really important to know. So, if you don\u2019t like irregular verbs, you might just have to grit your teeth through this, but preferir <\/strong>really is a valuable verb to know! If you do like working with these kinds of verbs, that\u2019s great! You\u2019re in for a slightly easier read this time, because preferir <\/strong>isn\u2019t as challenging as other irregular verbs which we\u2019ve already covered, like pedir<\/strong><\/a>, dormir<\/strong><\/a>, and salir<\/strong><\/a>. Each one of these posts has an attached Cloze Collection which you can use for extra practice, to really develop your irregular verb skills!<\/p>\n If this is your first time here, you might be asking \u201cbut what is an irregular verb and why does it seem hard?\u201d. The truth is, it\u2019s not that complicated. In Spanish, what makes a verb irregular is that its conjugation doesn\u2019t follow the standard rules for verbs ending in -ar, -er, and -ir.<\/strong> Instead, it changes its stem differently according to various tenses and subjects. This is why you might find irregular verb conjugation challenging. Instead of being able to follow an intuitive pattern as you go, you might have to learn the rules of each separate verb by heart. Let me give you a concrete example:<\/p>\n The verb imprimir<\/strong>, meaning \u201cto print<\/em>\u201d, is a regular <\/strong>verb. That means its stem \u201cimprim\u201d always remains the same no matter which tense and subject is being used to conjugate it. For instance, the \u201cYo\/I\u201d subject in the present tense is \u201cyo imprimo\u201d. <\/strong>Conversely, preferir\u2019s stem changes depending on subject and tense, making it irregular. <\/strong>This means that you can\u2019t rely on the verb\u2019s stem \u201cprefer\u201d<\/strong> to remain the same no matter what. The same \u201cYo\/I\u201d subject in the present tense of preferir<\/strong> is \u201cyo prefiero\u201d<\/strong>, not \u201cyo prefero\u201d.<\/p>\n If that makes sense, you\u2019re well on your way to mastering the preferir<\/em> conjugation! Once you get used to memorizing irregular verbs, they\u2019ll quickly become second nature.<\/p>\n The meaning of preferir <\/strong>in Spanish is pretty-self explanatory. It just means, \u201cto prefer<\/em>\u201d. However, it is worth knowing a few of the subtleties of the verb so that you can use it correctly.<\/p>\n Firstly, let\u2019s look at an example sentence for the standard meaning of preferir <\/strong>(\u201cto prefer\u201d<\/em>):<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s explore how preferir <\/strong>can also have a few subtleties. Firstly, in Spanish you can use the verb preferir <\/strong>to mean \u201cchoose\u201d or \u201copt\u201d, which would traditionally be covered by the verb escojer <\/strong>(to choose<\/em>). That\u2019s because in some situations, it is just as correct to say someone \u201cpreferred\u201d to do something as it is to say someone \u201cchose\u201d to do something. Let me give you an example:<\/p>\n Finally, it is also worth knowing the Spanish term \u201cde preferencia\u201d, <\/strong>which means \u201cpreferably\u201d<\/em>, \u201cpreferential\u201d<\/em> and \u201cof preference\u201d<\/em>. Let\u2019s look at a few example sentences so you know how to use this term:<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s move onto actual conjugation!<\/p>\n Verbals are a good starting point for learning conjugation because they often trip people up. That\u2019s because despite their name, verbals don\u2019t act like verbs in a sentence at all! Instead, verbals are when a verb is acting as a noun, adjective, or adverb in a sentence. It\u2019s worth knowing these verbals in advance because they can be a bit tricky, but once you\u2019ve wrapped your head around them, you can identify and use them easily. Today, we\u2019re going to go over three of preferir\u2019s<\/strong> verbals, el infinitivo <\/strong>(the infinitive)<\/em>, el gerundio <\/strong>(the<\/em> gerund)<\/em>, and el participio <\/strong>(the<\/em> participle). <\/em><\/p>\n The infinitive of the verb \u201cpreferir\u201d is just \u201cpreferir\u201d.<\/strong> This might seem too easy at first, but it makes sense because it is used in sentences where preferir <\/strong>is just a qualifier for a different active verb.<\/p>\n For example: \u201cQuisiera preferir el caf\u00e9 sin az\u00facar, pero me encanta todo lo dulce.\u201d <\/strong>means \u201cI wish I preferred drinking coffee without sugar, but I love sweet things.\u201d <\/em>In this case, the acting verb is querer<\/strong> (to want\/ to wish<\/em>), not preferir<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The gerund of \u201cpreferir\u201d is \u201cprefiriendo\u201d (preferring<\/em>).<\/strong> It is used when the active verb in a sentence is estar <\/strong>(to be)<\/em>, and preferir <\/strong>just gives the sentence a boost in meaning.<\/p>\n For example: \u201c\u00daltimamente, mi hijo est\u00e1 prefiriendo videojuegos m\u00e1s tranquilos\u201d<\/strong>, meaning \u201cLately, my son prefers more relaxing video games\u201d. <\/em><\/p>\n The participle of preferir is preferido<\/strong> (preferred<\/em>), and it is used when the active verb in a sentence is \u201chaber\u201d (to have)<\/em>.<\/p>\n For example: \u201cAntes habr\u00eda preferido no votar, pero ahora creo que tengo que hacerlo.\u201d <\/strong>means \u201cBefore, I would have preferred not to vote, but now I think I have to do it.\u201d <\/em>In this case, the verb haber<\/strong> is conjugated to habr\u00eda <\/strong>(would have)<\/em>, and preferido remains the same no matter how haber<\/em> is conjugated. <\/strong><\/p>\n Even if you find verbals complicated, now that you\u2019ve gotten through them, you\u2019ll probably find the rest of preferir <\/strong>conjugation much easier, so well done for working on verbals first!<\/p>\n Ok, now we can actually get to conjugation and verb tables! In the next few sections, we\u2019ll explore lots of different verb tenses which are commonly used in Spanish, so that you can use preferir<\/strong> with confidence. They\u2019re divided up by level, so you can stick to learning just the ones you\u2019re comfortable with and come back later, or go through them all right now in one huge session!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start by going over beginner preferir <\/strong>conjugation. In the following table, you\u2019ll find the present <\/em>(presente<\/strong>) and future <\/em>(futuro<\/strong>) tenses, as well as two different versions of the past tense, the perfect <\/em>(perfecto<\/strong>), and the imperfect <\/em>(imperfecto<\/strong>). You\u2019ll be able to practice these in more depth and test your knowledge in the Cloze Collection at the end of the article.<\/p>\n<\/a>What Kind of Verb is Preferir<\/em>?<\/h2>\n
<\/a>What to Choose? The Different Meanings of Preferir<\/em><\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Preferir<\/em> Verbals<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Infinitivo (infinitive)<\/em><\/h3>\n
<\/a>Gerundio (gerund<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Participio (participle)<\/h3>\n
<\/a>All-Levels Preferir<\/em> Conjugation<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/a>Easy Pickings: Beginner Preferir<\/em> Conjugation<\/h2>\n