The verb “preferir” is a Spanish verb that means “to prefer.” Here’s its conjugation in the present, preterite, imperfect, and future tenses:
Present Tense
The present tense is used to describe actions that are happening now.
- Yo prefiero (I prefer)
- Tú prefieres (You prefer)
- Él/ella/usted prefiere (He/she/you prefer)
- Nosotros/as preferimos (We prefer)
- Vosotros/as preferís (You all prefer - used in Spain)
- Ellos/as prefieren (They/you all prefer)
Preterite Tense
The preterite tense is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past and are now completed.
- Yo preferí (I preferred)
- Tú preferiste (You preferred)
- Él/ella/usted prefirió (He/she/you preferred)
- Nosotros/as preferimos (We preferred)
- Vosotros/as preferisteis (You all preferred - used in Spain)
- Ellos/as prefirieron (They/you all preferred)
Imperfect Tense
The imperfect tense describes ongoing or repeated actions in the past.
- Yo prefería (I used to prefer/I preferred)
- Tú preferías (You used to prefer/you preferred)
- Él/ella/usted prefería (He/she/you used to prefer/he/she/you preferred)
- Nosotros/as preferíamos (We used to prefer/we preferred)
- Vosotros/as preferíais (You all used to prefer/you all preferred - used in Spain)
- Ellos/as preferían (They/you all used to prefer/they/you all preferred)
Future Tense
The future tense is used for actions that will happen in the future.
- Yo preferiré (I will prefer)
- Tú preferirás (You will prefer)
- Él/ella/usted preferirá (He/she/you will prefer)
- Nosotros/as preferiremos (We will prefer)
- Vosotros/as preferiréis (You all will prefer - used in Spain)
- Ellos/as preferirán (They/you all will prefer)
Conditional Tense
The conditional tense is used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions.
- Yo preferiría (I would prefer)
- Tú preferirías (You would prefer)
- Él/ella/usted preferiría (He/she/you would prefer)
- Nosotros/as preferiríamos (We would prefer)
- Vosotros/as preferiríais (You all would prefer - used in Spain)
- Ellos/as preferirían (They/you all would prefer)
Subjunctive Mood
The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, uncertainty, or possibility about the action of the verb. It has several tenses, but the present subjunctive is the most commonly used.
- Que yo prefiera (That I prefer)
- Que tú prefieras (That you prefer)
- Que él/ella/usted prefiera (That he/she/you prefer)
- Que nosotros/as prefiramos (That we prefer)
- Que vosotros/as prefirais (That you all prefer - used in Spain)
- Que ellos/as prefieran (That they/you all prefer)
The conjugation of “preferir” varies slightly in different tenses and moods, reflecting the complexities and nuances of the Spanish language. This verb, like many others in Spanish, requires an understanding of the context in which it’s used to choose the correct conjugation.
