Preferir Present Tense Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb preferir means to prefer, and this page covers it in the present tense — the tense for habits, facts and what is happening now. If you want the whole picture, start with the full preferir conjugation, which has every tense on one page. Here we go deep on one tense only: the full table, how it is formed, when to use it, how it differs from the closest tense, examples, the mistakes learners actually make, a quiz and answers to the questions people ask most. One example to start: Yo prefiero el té al café. — "I prefer tea to coffee."

No pronunciation is given on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for preferir, so no pronunciation is shown rather than an invented one. All the forms below come from the verified conjugation tables, so you can trust every form you see here.

Watch out for one thing before you start: preferir is a stem-changing verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in four of the six present forms, and the table below shows exactly which ones.

The preferir present tense table

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for preferir. The gerund is prefiriendo and the past participle is preferido.

Person Form
yo prefiero
tú prefieres
él/ella/Ud. prefiere
nosotros/as preferimos
vosotros/as preferís
ellos/ellas/Uds. prefieren

The gerund prefiriendo is used with estar for the progressive (estoy prefiriendo, I am preferring), and the past participle preferido is used with haber for the perfect tenses (he preferido, I have preferred).

How the present tense of preferir is formed

Start with the infinitive preferir. Take off the -ir ending and you are left with the stem prefer-. Then add the present endings for -ir verbs: -o (yo), -es (tú), -e (él/ella/Ud.), -imos (nosotros/as), -ís (vosotros/as) and -en (ellos/ellas/Uds.). That gives you the six forms in the table above, and for most verbs in this group that is the whole story.

preferir is a stem-changing verb: the stem vowel changes from e → ie in the four stressed forms of the present. You say prefiero (yo), prefieres (tú), prefiere (él/ella) and prefieren (ellos/ellas), but the nosotros and vosotros forms are unstressed, so they keep the plain stem: preferimos and preferís. This is the single most important thing to learn about preferir, because the change appears in the present, in the present subjunctive and in the imperative too. Learn the four changed forms as a set, and the two unchanged forms as a pair, and the pattern becomes automatic.

Two details are worth fixing early. First, the vosotros form carries a written accent on the ending: preferís. Second, the present tense in Spanish has no auxiliary verb: prefiero on its own means both "I prefer" and "I am preferring" in English, so you do not need a separate word for the progressive unless you want to stress that something is happening right now.

When to use the present tense of preferir

Habits and routines

The present is the tense of what you do regularly. Talking about preferences between two things: tea or coffee, beach or mountains, cinema or theatre.

  • Yo prefiero el té al café. — "I prefer tea to coffee."
  • Tú prefieres el cine al teatro. — "you prefer the cinema to the theatre."

Facts and general truths

The present also states facts that are true in general, not just today. Talking about preferring to stay at home or to go out.

  • Él prefiere quedarme en casa. — "he/she prefers to stay at home."
  • Nosotros preferimos la playa a la montaña. — "we prefer the beach to the mountains."

What is happening now

The present describes what is happening at this moment. Talking about what you would rather do, with preferir + infinitive: prefiero quedarme en casa.

  • Vosotros preferís el verano al invierno. — "you (all) prefer summer to winter."
  • Ellos prefieren leer a ver la televisión. — "they prefer reading to watching television."

Plans in the near future

Spanish also uses the present for fixed plans in the near future, especially with a time expression. A plan you have already decided on can be stated in the present, and it sounds more certain than the future tense.

  • Él prefiere quedarme en casa. — "he/she prefers to stay at home."
  • Nosotros preferimos la playa a la montaña. — "we prefer the beach to the mountains."

Preferir present vs present progressive

The present tense and the present progressive (estar + gerund) are close neighbours, and learners mix them up. The present describes a habit, a fact or a routine. The progressive describes something in progress right now, at this very moment. Compare the three pairs below: the first sentence in each pair is a habit, the second is happening now.

  • Present (habit): Yo prefiero el té al café. — "I prefer tea to coffee."

  • Progressive (right now): Yo estoy prefiriendo el té al café. — "I am preferring tea to coffee."

  • Present (habit): Tú prefieres el cine al teatro. — "you prefer the cinema to the theatre."

  • Progressive (right now): Tú estás prefiriendo el cine al teatro. — "you are preferring the cinema to the theatre."

  • Present (habit): Él prefiere quedarme en casa. — "he/she prefers to stay at home."

  • Progressive (right now): Él está prefiriendo quedarme en casa. — "he/she is preferring to stay at home."

Use the present when you talk about what you usually do, and the progressive when you want to stress that it is happening as you speak. If you say prefiero every day, that is a routine. If you say Estoy prefiriendo, you are doing it at this moment.

Examples of preferir in the present

Eight sentences in the present tense, so you can see the forms in real use. Read the Spanish first, guess the meaning, then check the translation.

  1. Prefiero el té al café. — "I prefer tea to coffee."
  2. Mis hijos prefieren el cine al teatro. — "My children prefer the cinema to the theatre."
  3. Ayer preferí quedarme en casa. — "Yesterday I preferred to stay at home."
  4. De niño, prefería la playa a la montaña. — "As a child, I used to prefer the beach to the mountains."
  5. Mañana preferiré leer a ver la televisión. — "Tomorrow I will prefer reading to watching television."
  6. Si pudiera elegir, preferiría el verano al invierno. — "If I could choose, I would prefer summer to winter."
  7. Él prefiere el verano al invierno. — "he/she prefers summer to winter."
  8. Nosotros preferimos leer a ver la televisión. — "we prefer reading to watching television."

Common mistakes with preferir in the present

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why it is wrong.

1. Yo prefero el té.

Wrong: Yo prefero el té.

Right: Yo prefiero el té.

Preferir is an e → ie stem-changing verb: yo prefiero, tú prefieres, él prefiere, ellos prefieren. Preferimos and preferís keep the plain e.

2. Ellos preferieron quedarse.

Wrong: Ellos preferieron quedarse.

Right: Ellos prefirieron quedarse.

In the preterite, the third-person forms change e to i: él prefirió, ellos prefirieron. The yo and tú preterite forms keep e: preferí, preferiste.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

Wrong: Ayer yo prefiero el té al café.

Right: Ayer yo preferí el té al café.

Ayer (yesterday) signals a finished action, so it needs the preterite: preferí. The present prefiero describes what you do now or usually, not what you did yesterday.

4. Forgetting the accent on the vosotros form

Wrong: Vosotros preferis el té al café.

Right: Vosotros preferís el té al café.

The vosotros ending carries a written accent: preferís. Without it, the spelling is wrong, even though the pronunciation is close.

Quiz: test yourself on preferir in the present

Choose the right form for each sentence. The answers are at the end of this section, with an explanation for every question.

  1. Yo ___ el té al café
    • a) prefiero
    • b) prefieres
    • c) prefiere
    • d) preferimos
  2. Tú ___ el cine al teatro
    • a) prefiero
    • b) prefiere
    • c) preferimos
    • d) prefieres
  3. Él ___ quedarme en casa
    • a) prefieres
    • b) preferimos
    • c) prefiere
    • d) prefiero
  4. Nosotros ___ la playa a la montaña
    • a) prefiere
    • b) preferimos
    • c) prefiero
    • d) prefieres
  5. Vosotros ___ el verano al invierno
    • a) preferís
    • b) prefiero
    • c) prefieres
    • d) prefiere
  6. Ellos ___ leer a ver la televisión
    • a) prefiero
    • b) prefieres
    • c) prefiere
    • d) prefieren
  7. Yo ___ el té al café
    • a) prefiere
    • b) preferimos
    • c) prefiero
    • d) prefieres
  8. Tú ___ el cine al teatro
    • a) preferimos
    • b) prefieres
    • c) prefiero
    • d) prefiere

Answers

  1. a) prefiero — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  2. d) prefieres — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.
  3. c) prefiere — The sentence needs the él/ella/Ud. form, because the subject is él/ella/Ud..
  4. b) preferimos — The sentence needs the nosotros/as form, because the subject is nosotros/as.
  5. a) preferís — The sentence needs the vosotros/as form, because the subject is vosotros/as.
  6. d) prefieren — The sentence needs the ellos/ellas/Uds. form, because the subject is ellos/ellas/Uds..
  7. c) prefiero — The sentence needs the yo form, because the subject is yo.
  8. b) prefieres — The sentence needs the tú form, because the subject is tú.

Frequently asked questions about preferir in the present

Why is it prefiero and not prefero?

Preferir changes e to ie in the stressed present forms: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, prefieren. Nosotros and vosotros are unstressed: preferimos, preferís.

Why is the preterite él prefirió and not preferió?

Preferir is also a stem-changing verb in the preterite, but only in the third person, where e becomes i: él prefirió, ellos prefirieron. The gerund changes too: prefiriendo.

Is preferir a stem-changing verb in the present?

Yes. In the present the stem vowel changes e → ie in the yo, tú, él and ellos forms: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere and prefieren. The nosotros form (preferimos) and the vosotros form (preferís) keep the plain stem.

What are the gerund and the past participle of preferir?

The gerund is prefiriendo, used with estar for the progressive (estoy prefiriendo), and the past participle is preferido, used with haber for the perfect tenses (he preferido).

How to remember preferir

Four small habits will fix preferir in your memory. First, say the present tense out loud, in order, three times: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, preferís, prefieren. Saying the forms is far more effective than reading them silently, because you hear the endings and the stem at the same time. Second, write three sentences about your own life: one about today with the present (prefiero), one about yesterday with the preterite (preferí), and one about tomorrow with the future (preferiré). Personal sentences stick because they are about you, not about a textbook. Third, remember the difference from gustar: Preferir means you like one thing more than another; gustar means you like something. Prefiero el té al café compares two things, while me gusta el té just says you like tea. Finally, learn the two key forms by heart: the gerund prefiriendo and the past participle preferido. With those two and the present tense, you can already build the progressive (estoy prefiriendo) and the present perfect (he preferido), which covers most everyday conversation.

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