Introduction

Preferir means “to prefer”, and this page covers exactly one thing: preferir in the pretérito perfeito. The pretérito perfeito is the tense Portuguese speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full pretérito perfeito table for preferir, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito imperfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about preferir in the pretérito perfeito. It means to prefer, and it is a stem-change verb: the present eu form is prefiro, with i, while the tu form keeps e — preferes, prefere, preferimos, preferis, preferem. Its pretérito perfeito is preferi, preferiste, preferiu, and its participle is preferido. It takes a direct object with no preposition. For example: “Ele preferiu café ontem.” — “He preferred coffee.” Everything on this page uses the forms of preferir exactly as they are conjugated in the pretérito perfeito, so you can trust every form you see here.

Preferir in the Pretérito perfeito — full table

Person Form
eu preferi
tu preferiste
ele/ela preferiu
nós preferimos
vós preferistes
eles/elas preferiram
Gerund: preferindo · Past participle: preferido
The gerund is preferindo, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Preferindo café, aprendo muito.” — “While preferring coffee, I learn a lot.” The past participle is preferido, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho preferido is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the pretérito perfeito is only one part of how preferir is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for preferir, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the pretérito perfeito of preferir is formed

The pretérito perfeito of preferir has six forms: eu preferi, tu preferiste, ele preferiu, nós preferimos, vós preferistes, eles preferiram. The participle is given here in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table. preferir is regular in the pretérito perfeito: the -ar endings are -ei, -aste, -ou, -ámos, -astes, -aram, and the -er and -ir endings are -i, -este, -eu, -emos, -estes, -eram. Learn the six forms as a set and the tense is yours — the endings never change for a regular verb.

Two things about the pretérito perfeito of preferir are worth noticing. First, it is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ontem, esta semana and no ano passado — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense. Second, it is a simple tense, built from one word, unlike the pretérito perfeito composto, which needs ter plus the participle preferido: tenho preferido. When the action is one finished event, reach for the simple form first.

Because the pretérito perfeito of preferir is one word per person, it is cheap to learn once the six forms are fixed. Learn them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and say each one with a time word, so the tense and its time words are learnt together.

When to use the pretérito perfeito of preferir

The pretérito perfeito is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use preferir in the pretérito perfeito most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The pretérito perfeito describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Portuguese. When the action has a clear end, the pretérito perfeito is the natural choice. Example: “Eu preferi café ontem.” — “I preferred coffee.”

2. Recent events

Use the pretérito perfeito for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Ele preferiu café ontem.” — “He preferred coffee.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the pretérito perfeito. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Nós preferimos café ontem.” — “We preferred coffee.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the pretérito perfeito for things you have done in your life, with or without a time expression. It is the tense of experience as much as of yesterday. Example: “Tu preferiste café ontem.” — “You preferred coffee.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the pretérito perfeito carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Eles preferiram café ontem.” — “They preferred coffee.”

Pretérito Perfeito vs Pretérito Imperfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the pretérito perfeito is the pretérito imperfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action, while the pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual action in the past, or the background of a scene. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the pretérito perfeito sentences use words such as ontem or esta semana, while the pretérito imperfeito sentences use antigamente or todos os dias.

  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele preferiu café ontem.” — “He preferred coffee”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Ele preferia café antigamente.” — “He used to prefer coffee”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu preferi café ontem.” — “I preferred coffee”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Eu preferia café antigamente.” — “I used to prefer coffee”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu preferiste café ontem.” — “You preferred coffee”
  • Pretérito Imperfeito: “Tu preferias café antigamente.” — “You used to prefer coffee”
  • The pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event; the pretérito imperfeito sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

Example sentences: preferir in the pretérito perfeito

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu preferi café ontem.” — “I preferred coffee”
  2. “Tu preferiste café ontem.” — “You preferred coffee”
  3. “Ele preferiu café ontem.” — “He preferred coffee”
  4. “Nós preferimos café ontem.” — “We preferred coffee”
  5. “Vós preferistes café ontem.” — “You preferred coffee”
  6. “Eles preferiram café ontem.” — “They preferred coffee”
  7. “Eu preferi café ontem.” — “I preferred coffee”
  8. “Ele preferiu café ontem.” — “He preferred coffee”

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Eu prefiro café ontem.” Right: “Eu preferi café ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito preferi for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu preferia café ontem.” Right: “Eu preferi café ontem.” Why: The pretérito imperfeito describes an ongoing or habitual past action, not one finished event. For a single finished action yesterday, use the pretérito perfeito preferi.
  • Wrong: “Eu preferiste café.” Right: “Eu preferi café ontem.” Why: The eu form is preferi, not preferiste. preferiste is the tu form. Match the verb to the subject every time.
  • Wrong: “Eu preferir café.” Right: “Eu preferi café ontem.” Why: The infinitive preferir never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After eu you need the conjugated pretérito perfeito form preferi.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the eu form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferiste
    • B) preferi
    • C) preferiu
    • D) preferimos

  2. What is the tu form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferi
    • B) preferiu
    • C) preferiste
    • D) preferimos

  3. What is the ele/ela form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferi
    • B) preferiste
    • C) preferimos
    • D) preferiu

  4. What is the nós form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferimos
    • B) preferi
    • C) preferiste
    • D) preferiu

  5. What is the vós form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferi
    • B) preferistes
    • C) preferiste
    • D) preferiu

  6. What is the eles/elas form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferi
    • B) preferiste
    • C) preferiram
    • D) preferiu

  7. What is the eu form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferiste
    • B) preferiu
    • C) preferimos
    • D) preferi

  8. What is the tu form of preferir in the Pretérito perfeito?

    • A) preferiste
    • B) preferi
    • C) preferiu
    • D) preferimos

Answer key

  1. B) preferi — the correct form is preferi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) preferiste — the correct form is preferiste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) preferiu — the correct form is preferiu. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) preferimos — the correct form is preferimos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) preferistes — the correct form is preferistes. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) preferiram — the correct form is preferiram. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) preferi — the correct form is preferi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) preferiste — the correct form is preferiste. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does preferir mean in English?

preferir means “to prefer”. It is a regular -ir verb.

How is the pretérito perfeito of preferir formed?

The six pretérito perfeito forms are: eu preferi, tu preferiste, ele preferiu, nós preferimos, vós preferistes, eles preferiram.

When do I use the pretérito perfeito instead of the pretérito imperfeito?

Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. Use the pretérito imperfeito for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ontem points to the pretérito perfeito, antigamente points to the pretérito imperfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of preferir?

The gerund is preferindo and the past participle is preferido. The perfect tenses use ter + preferido.

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