preferir Affirmative Imperative Conjugation
preferir — to prefer
The imperative uses 'prefiere' for tú and 'prefiera' for formal commands.
preferir Affirmative Imperative Forms
When to Use the Affirmative Imperative
Use this to tell someone to choose or prioritize one thing over another.
Notes on preferir in the Affirmative Imperative
The 'tú' form matches the present indicative 'prefiere', while the others match the present subjunctive.
Example Sentences
Prefiere siempre lo natural.
Always prefer (choose) what is natural.
tú
Prefiera usted el camino más corto.
Choose (formal) the shortest path.
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Using 'preferid' for a singular command.
Correct: Use 'prefiere' for tú.
Why: 'Preferid' is only for the vosotros (plural) command in Spain.
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Related Tenses
Present
yo: prefiero
Preferir is an e-to-ie stem-changer in the present tense (yo prefiero, tú prefieres).
Preterite
yo: preferí
Preferir has a small 'e' to 'i' stem change only in the third-person forms (él prefirió, ellos prefirieron).
Imperfect
yo: prefería
Preferir is completely regular in the imperfect: prefería, preferías, prefería...
Future
yo: preferiré
The future tense is regular: just add endings to the infinitive (preferiré, preferirás).
Conditional
yo: preferiría
The conditional is regular and uses the infinitive: preferiría, preferirías, etc.
Present Subjunctive
yo: prefiera
The present subjunctive changes 'e' to 'ie' in most forms, but 'e' to 'i' in nosotros and vosotros.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: prefiriera
The imperfect subjunctive uses the 'prefir-' stem (prefiriera, prefirieras).
Negative Imperative
yo: no prefieras
Negative commands always use the present subjunctive forms (no prefieras, no prefiera).