Preferir conjugation

Preferir means "to prefer". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto prefer

Type-ir verb

Gerundprefiriendo

Past participlepreferido

Preferir changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the present, preterite and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, preferimos, prefieren. Preterite: preferí, preferiste, prefirió, preferimos, prefirieron. All tenses below.

Preferir conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Preferir in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	prefiero
tú	prefieres
él / ella / usted	prefiere
nosotros	preferimos
vosotros (Spain)	preferís
ellos / ustedes	prefieren

Preferir in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	preferí
tú	preferiste
él / ella / usted	prefirió
nosotros	preferimos
vosotros (Spain)	preferisteis
ellos / ustedes	prefirieron

Preferir in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	prefería
tú	preferías
él / ella / usted	prefería
nosotros	preferíamos
vosotros (Spain)	preferíais
ellos / ustedes	preferían

Preferir in the future

what will happen

yo	preferiré
tú	preferirás
él / ella / usted	preferirá
nosotros	preferiremos
vosotros (Spain)	preferiréis
ellos / ustedes	preferirán

Preferir in the conditional

what would happen

yo	preferiría
tú	preferirías
él / ella / usted	preferiría
nosotros	preferiríamos
vosotros (Spain)	preferiríais
ellos / ustedes	preferirían

Preferir in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	prefiera
tú	prefieras
él / ella / usted	prefiera
nosotros	prefiramos
vosotros (Spain)	prefiráis
ellos / ustedes	prefieran

Preferir in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he preferido
tú	has preferido
él / ella / usted	ha preferido
nosotros	hemos preferido
vosotros (Spain)	habéis preferido
ellos / ustedes	han preferido

Preferir in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	prefiere
tú (no)	no prefieras
usted	prefiera
nosotros	prefiramos
vosotros (Spain)	preferid
ustedes	prefieran

Preferir in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Present

Prefiero el café sin azúcar.
I prefer coffee without sugar.
¿Prefieres ir mañana?
Would you rather go tomorrow?

Preterite

Preferí quedarme en casa.
I chose to stay home.
Ellos prefirieron el tren.
They went with the train.

Imperfect

De niño, prefería el fútbol al béisbol.
As a kid, I preferred football to baseball.
Preferíamos comer en casa los fines de semana.
We used to prefer eating at home at weekends.

Mistakes learners make with preferir

The stem changes e to ie in the present (prefiero) and e to i in the third-person preterite (prefirió, prefirieron).
Preferring someone else does something takes que and the subjunctive: prefiero que vengas mañana.
Standard Spanish compares with a: prefiero el té al café. Prefiero el té que el café is heard, but a is the correct form.

Write your own sentence with preferir

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

Related verbs

Previous: entender · Next: sentir · all verbs

ir conjugation
to go
decir conjugation
to say / to tell
venir conjugation
to come
salir conjugation
to go out / to leave
dormir conjugation
to sleep
pedir conjugation
to ask for / to order
sentir conjugation
to feel
seguir conjugation
to follow / to keep going

Use preferir in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is preferir irregular in Spanish?

Partly. Preferir changes form in the present, preterite and present subjunctive, through an irregular stem, a stem change or a spelling change. The other tenses follow the regular -ir pattern.

What is the preterite of preferir?

Yo preferí, tú preferiste, él/ella prefirió, nosotros preferimos, ellos/ustedes prefirieron.

How do you conjugate preferir in the present?

Yo prefiero, tú prefieres, él/ella prefiere, nosotros preferimos, ellos/ustedes prefieren.

What is the future of preferir?

Yo preferiré, tú preferirás, él/ella preferirá, nosotros preferiremos, ellos/ustedes preferirán.

What is the present subjunctive of preferir?

Que yo prefiera, que tú prefieras, que él/ella prefiera, que nosotros prefiramos, que ellos/ustedes prefieran.