Introduction

Preferire means “to prefer”, and this page covers exactly one thing: preferire in the passato prossimo. The passato prossimo is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about one finished action in the past, especially in conversation. On this page you will find the full passato prossimo table for preferire, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about preferire in the passato prossimo. 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. For example: “Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “He has preferred tea.” Everything on this page uses the forms of preferire exactly as they are conjugated in the passato prossimo, so you can trust every form you see here.

Preferire in the Passato prossimo — full table

Person Form
io ho preferito
tu hai preferito
lui/lei ha preferito
noi abbiamo preferito
voi avete preferito
loro hanno preferito
Gerund: preferendo · Past participle: preferito
The gerund is preferendo, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Preferendo il tè, imparo molto.” — “While preferring tea, I learn a lot.” The past participle is preferito, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho preferito is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the passato prossimo is only one part of how preferire is used.
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.

How the passato prossimo of preferire is formed

The passato prossimo of preferire is formed with the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle preferito: io ho preferito, tu hai preferito, lui ha preferito, noi abbiamo preferito, voi avete preferito, loro hanno preferito. 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. The participle is preferito, and the auxiliary is avere: io ho preferito. The -isc- of the present does not appear in the passato prossimo, so this tense is regular once the auxiliary is fixed.

Two things about the passato prossimo of preferire are worth noticing. First, the auxiliary is the whole decision: once you know that preferire takes avere, the rest is the present of avere plus one participle, and the same participle serves all four perfect tenses. Second, the passato prossimo is the tense of finished events with a clear result, so it pairs naturally with time words such as ieri, questa settimana and l'anno scorso — those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

Because the participle preferito never changes in the tables, the passato prossimo of preferire is cheap to learn once the auxiliary is fixed. Learn the six auxiliary forms, add the participle, and the whole tense is yours.

When to use the passato prossimo of preferire

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

1. One finished action

The passato prossimo describes a single action that is finished, especially in spoken Italian. When the action has a clear end, the passato prossimo is the natural choice. Example: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “I have preferred tea.”

2. Recent events

Use the passato prossimo for things that happened recently — today, this week, this morning — where the result is still visible in the present. Example: “Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “He has preferred tea.”

3. A sequence of events

When you tell what happened first, second and third, each step takes the passato prossimo. The tense moves the story forward one finished action at a time. Example: “Noi abbiamo preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “We have preferred tea.”

4. An experience in your life

Use the passato prossimo 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 hai preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “You have preferred tea.”

5. News and results

When you report news or a result, the passato prossimo carries it: something happened, and now the situation is different. The result matters more than the process. Example: “Loro hanno preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “They have preferred tea.”

Passato Prossimo vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the passato prossimo is the imperfect, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the passato prossimo describes one finished action, while the imperfect 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 passato prossimo sentences use words such as ieri or questa settimana, while the imperfect sentences use una volta or ogni giorno.

  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “He has preferred tea”
  • Imperfect: “Lui preferiva il tè una volta.” — “He used to prefer tea”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “I have preferred tea”
  • Imperfect: “Io preferivo il tè una volta.” — “I used to prefer tea”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “You have preferred tea”
  • Imperfect: “Tu preferivi il tè una volta.” — “You used to prefer tea”
  • The passato prossimo sentence is one finished event; the imperfect sentence is an ongoing or habitual past action. Ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

Example sentences: preferire in the passato prossimo

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. “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “I have preferred tea”
  2. “Tu hai preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “You have preferred tea”
  3. “Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “He has preferred tea”
  4. “Noi abbiamo preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “We have preferred tea”
  5. “Voi avete preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “You have preferred tea”
  6. “Loro hanno preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “They have preferred tea”
  7. “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “I have preferred tea”
  8. “Lui ha preferito il tè questa settimana.” — “He has preferred tea”

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: “Io sono preferito il tè.” Right: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” Why: preferire takes avere in the passato prossimo, not the other auxiliary. The io form is ho preferito — check the auxiliary before you build the tense.
  • Wrong: “Io preferisco il tè ieri.” Right: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho preferito for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io ho preferendo il tè.” Right: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” Why: The passato prossimo needs the past participle preferito, not the gerund preferendo. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary.
  • Wrong: “Io preferire il tè.” Right: “Io ho preferito il tè questa settimana.” Why: The infinitive preferire never takes a subject and never forms a past tense on its own. After io you need the conjugated passato prossimo form ho preferito.

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 io form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

  3. What is the lui/lei form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

  4. What is the noi form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

  5. What is the voi form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

  6. What is the loro form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

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

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

  8. What is the tu form of preferire in the Present perfect (passato prossimo)?

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

Answer key

  1. B) ho preferito — the correct form is ho preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) hai preferito — the correct form is hai preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) ha preferito — the correct form is ha preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) abbiamo preferito — the correct form is abbiamo preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) avete preferito — the correct form is avete preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) hanno preferito — the correct form is hanno preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) ho preferito — the correct form is ho preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) hai preferito — the correct form is hai preferito. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does preferire mean in English?

preferire means “to prefer”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -ire verb.

How is the passato prossimo of preferire formed?

With the auxiliary avere in the present plus the past participle preferito: io ho preferito, tu hai preferito, lui ha preferito, noi abbiamo preferito, voi avete preferito, loro hanno preferito.

When do I use the passato prossimo instead of the imperfect?

Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. Use the imperfect for an ongoing or habitual past action, or for background description. The time words are your best clue: ieri points to the passato prossimo, una volta points to the imperfect.

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.

Related pages