Preferire Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Italian

preferire — to prefer — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Italian. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It is the verb for preferring one thing to another, and it is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is preferisco. The noi and voi forms keep the plain stem: preferiamo, preferite. On this page you will find preferire in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the preferire conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the preferire passato prossimo tense page.

Example sentences with preferire

In the present tense

  • “Io preferisco il tè ogni giorno.” — “I prefer tea”
  • “Tu preferisci il tè ogni giorno.” — “You prefer tea”
  • “Lui preferisce il tè ogni giorno.” — “He prefers tea”
  • “Noi preferiamo il tè ogni giorno.” — “We prefer tea”
  • “Voi preferite il tè ogni giorno.” — “You prefer tea”
  • “Loro preferiscono il tè ogni giorno.” — “They prefer tea”

In the passato prossimo

  • “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “I have preferred tea”
  • “Tu hai preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “You have preferred tea”
  • “Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “He has preferred tea”
  • “Noi abbiamo preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “We have preferred tea”
  • “Voi avete preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “You have preferred tea”
  • “Loro hanno preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “They have preferred tea”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Io preferivo il tè una volta.” — “I used to prefer tea”
  • “Tu preferirai il tè domani.” — “You will prefer tea”
  • “Lui preferirebbe il tè un giorno.” — “He would prefer tea”
  • “È importante che noi preferiamo il tè.” — “It is important that we prefer tea”
  • “Preferisci il tè!” — “Prefer tea!”

How preferire is used

The first thing to know about preferire is its core meaning: to prefer. It is the verb for preferring one thing to another, and it is an -isc- verb: the present, the present subjunctive and the imperative insert -isc- in the singular and third-person plural, so the io form is preferisco. The noi and voi forms keep the plain stem: preferiamo, preferite. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the passato prossimo, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company preferire keeps. The present io form is preferisco, and it pairs naturally with the time words ogni giorno and sempre for habits, and with adesso for what is happening right now. The passato prossimo io form is ho preferito, and it pairs with ieri and questa settimana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what preferire does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after io you need preferisco, never preferire. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the passato prossimo is ho preferito, built with avere, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle preferito is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Preferire in context

Io preferisco il tè ogni giorno. Tu preferisci il tè ogni giorno. Lui preferisce il tè ogni giorno. Noi preferiamo il tè ogni giorno. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of preferire is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — preferisco, preferisci, preferisce, preferiamo — while the meaning stays the same: to prefer. Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana. Tu hai preferito il tè questa settimana. Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana. Noi abbiamo preferito il tè questa settimana. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the passato prossimo of preferire appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to prefer — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Io preferire il tè.”

✓ Right: “Io preferisco il tè ogni giorno.”

The infinitive preferire never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated present form preferisco.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Io preferisci il tè.”

✓ Right: “Io preferisco il tè ogni giorno.”

preferisci is the tu form, not the io form. The io form is preferisco — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Io preferisco il tè ieri.”

✓ Right: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.”

Ieri points to the past, so use the passato prossimo ho preferito here, not the present preferisco.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Io sono preferito il tè.”

✓ Right: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.”

preferire takes avere in the passato prossimo. The io form is ho preferito — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on preferire across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of preferire in the Present indicative?

    • A) preferisco
    • B) preferisci
    • C) preferisce
    • D) preferiamo

  2. What is the io form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

    • A) hai preferito
    • B) ha preferito
    • C) ho preferito
    • D) abbiamo preferito

  3. What is the lui/lei form of preferire in the Imperfect?

    • A) preferivo
    • B) preferivi
    • C) preferivamo
    • D) preferiva

  4. What is the noi form of preferire in the Future?

    • A) preferiremo
    • B) preferirò
    • C) preferirai
    • D) preferirà

  5. What is the tu form of preferire in the Conditional?

    • A) preferirei
    • B) preferiresti
    • C) preferirebbe
    • D) preferiremmo

  6. What is the io form of preferire in the Passato remoto?

    • A) preferisti
    • B) preferì
    • C) preferii
    • D) preferimmo

  7. What is the noi form of preferire in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) preferisca
    • B) preferiate
    • C) preferiscano
    • D) preferiamo

  8. What is the gerund of preferire?

    • A) preferendo
    • B) preferito
    • C) preferire
    • D) preferisco

  9. What is the past participle of preferire?

    • A) preferendo
    • B) preferito
    • C) preferire
    • D) preferisco

  10. What does preferire mean in English?

  • A) to explain
  • B) to answer
  • C) to prefer
  • D) to ask

Answer key

  1. B) preferisci — the correct form is preferisci. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) ho preferito — the correct form is ho preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) preferiva — the correct form is preferiva. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) preferiremo — the correct form is preferiremo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) preferiresti — the correct form is preferiresti. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) preferii — the correct form is preferii. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) preferiamo — the correct form is preferiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) preferendo — the correct form is preferendo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) preferito — the correct form is preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to prefer — the correct form is to prefer. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does preferire mean in English?

preferire means “to prefer”. You use it whenever you talk about to prefer in Italian, in the present, the past and the future.

Is preferire regular or irregular?

preferire is regular. preferire is regular: every form follows the standard -ire endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of preferire?

The gerund is preferendo and the past participle is preferito. The perfect tenses use avere + preferito.

Where can I see the full conjugation of preferire?

On the preferire conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The preferire passato prossimo tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for preferire, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

Related pages