preferir Preterite Conjugation
preferir — to prefer
Preferir has a small 'e' to 'i' stem change only in the third-person forms (él prefirió, ellos prefirieron).
preferir Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite when you made a specific choice at a single point in the past.
Notes on preferir in the Preterite
Unlike the present tense, the stem change here is e-to-i, and it only happens in the 'basement' (third-person singular and plural).
Example Sentences
Ayer preferí quedarme estudiando.
Yesterday I preferred to stay and study.
yo
Él prefirió la ensalada en lugar de la pizza.
He preferred the salad instead of the pizza.
él/ella/usted
Ellos prefirieron viajar en tren.
They preferred to travel by train.
ellos/ellas/ustedes
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Saying 'preferió' with an 'e'.
Correct: The correct form is prefirió.
Why: In the preterite, the stem change for -ir verbs is always e-to-i, not e-to-ie.
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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).
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).
Affirmative Imperative
yo: prefiere
The imperative uses 'prefiere' for tú and 'prefiera' for formal commands.
Negative Imperative
yo: no prefieras
Negative commands always use the present subjunctive forms (no prefieras, no prefiera).