Preferir Conjugation | How to Conjugate Preferir in Spanish

Preferir means “to prefer.” You will learn its e → ie present change, e → i preterite-related families, gerund prefiriendo, regular participle preferido, and comparison patterns.

Preferir conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Preferir uses prefier- in stressed present-family forms, prefir- in third-person preterite forms and the related subjunctive family, and prefiriendo as its gerund.

Preferir gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle preferido remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	preferir	to prefer
Gerund	prefiriendo	preferring
Past participle	preferido	preferred

Preferir meaning and essential uses

Preferir is transitive and means giving one option priority over another: Prefiero el té. — “I prefer tea.”

To compare two choices, use preferir A a B: Prefiero el té al café. — “I prefer tea to coffee.” It also takes an infinitive for a preferred action and que + subjunctive when the preferred action has a different subject.

Preferir irregular conjugation patterns

Stressed present forms use prefier-: prefiero, prefieres, prefiere, prefieren. Nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use prefer-: preferimos, preferís.

The third-person preterite and related subjunctive families use prefir-: prefirió, prefirieron, prefiramos, prefiriera, prefiriere. The gerund is prefiriendo; the participle preferido is regular.

Preferir indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Preferir present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. Stressed forms use prefier-; nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use prefer-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	prefiero	I prefer
Tú — you, singular informal	prefieres	you prefer
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prefiere	he / she prefers; you prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preferimos	we prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preferís	you prefer (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prefieren	they prefer; you prefer (plural)

• Prefiero el té al café. — I prefer tea to coffee.

Preferir preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. Third-person forms use prefirió / prefirieron; the other preterite forms keep prefer-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preferí	I preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	preferiste	you preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prefirió	he / she preferred; you preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preferimos	we preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preferisteis	you preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prefirieron	they preferred; you preferred (plural)

• Ayer preferí quedarme en casa. — Yesterday I preferred to stay home.

Preferir imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	prefería	I used to prefer / was preferring
Tú — you, singular informal	preferías	you used to prefer / were preferring
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prefería	he / she used to prefer / was preferring; you used to prefer / were preferring (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preferíamos	we used to prefer / were preferring
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preferíais	you used to prefer / were preferring (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preferían	they used to prefer / were preferring; you used to prefer / were preferring (plural)

• Antes prefería trabajar por la mañana. — I used to prefer working in the morning.

Preferir present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar plus the stem-changing gerund prefiriendo — “preferring.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy prefiriendo	I am preferring
Tú — you, singular informal	estás prefiriendo	you are preferring
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está prefiriendo	he / she is preferring; you are preferring (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos prefiriendo	we are preferring
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis prefiriendo	you are preferring (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están prefiriendo	they are preferring; you are preferring (plural)

• Estoy prefiriendo opciones más sencillas últimamente. — I am preferring simpler options lately.

Preferir near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and preferir.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a preferir	I am going to prefer
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a preferir	you are going to prefer
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a preferir	he / she is going to prefer; you are going to prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a preferir	we are going to prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a preferir	you are going to prefer (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a preferir	they are going to prefer; you are going to prefer (plural)

• Voy a preferir una mesa cerca de la ventana. — I am going to prefer a table near the window.

Preferir future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preferiré	I will prefer
Tú — you, singular informal	preferirás	you will prefer
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preferirá	he / she will prefer; you will prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preferiremos	we will prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preferiréis	you will prefer (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preferirán	they will prefer; you will prefer (plural)

• Preferiremos viajar en tren. — We will prefer to travel by train.

Preferir conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	preferiría	I would prefer
Tú — you, singular informal	preferirías	you would prefer
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	preferiría	he / she would prefer; you would prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	preferiríamos	we would prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preferiríais	you would prefer (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	preferirían	they would prefer; you would prefer (plural)

• Preferiría esperar hasta mañana. — I would prefer to wait until tomorrow.

Preferir present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he preferido	I have preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	has preferido	you have preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha preferido	he / she has preferred; you have preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos preferido	we have preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis preferido	you have preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han preferido	they have preferred; you have preferred (plural)

• Siempre he preferido los lugares tranquilos. — I have always preferred quiet places.

Preferir past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había preferido	I had preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	habías preferido	you had preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había preferido	he / she had preferred; you had preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos preferido	we had preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais preferido	you had preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían preferido	they had preferred; you had preferred (plural)

• Ya habíamos preferido esa opción antes. — We had already preferred that option before.

Preferir future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré preferido	I will have preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás preferido	you will have preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá preferido	he / she will have preferred; you will have preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos preferido	we will have preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis preferido	you will have preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán preferido	they will have preferred; you will have preferred (plural)

• Para entonces habrán preferido otra alternativa. — By then they will have preferred another alternative.

Preferir conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría preferido	I would have preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías preferido	you would have preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría preferido	he / she would have preferred; you would have preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos preferido	we would have preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais preferido	you would have preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían preferido	they would have preferred; you would have preferred (plural)

• Habría preferido una respuesta más clara. — I would have preferred a clearer answer.

Preferir subjunctive conjugations

Preferir present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. Stressed forms use prefier-, while nosotros/nosotras and vosotros/vosotras use prefir-.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	prefiera	that I prefer
Tú — you, singular informal	prefieras	that you prefer
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prefiera	that he / she prefer; that you prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	prefiramos	that we prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	prefiráis	that you prefer (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prefieran	that they prefer; that you prefer (plural)

• Quiero que prefieras la calidad a la cantidad. — I want you to prefer quality to quantity.

Preferir imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. These forms use the prefirier- family; the main table shows the -ra series.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	prefiriera	that I preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	prefirieras	that you preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prefiriera	that he / she preferred; that you preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	prefiriéramos	that we preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	prefirierais	that you preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prefirieran	that they preferred; that you preferred (plural)

• Preferían que prefiriéramos otra fecha. — They preferred that we prefer another date.
• Era posible que prefirieses quedarte en casa. — It was possible that you preferred to stay home.

Preferir future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare forms use the prefirier- family.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	prefiriere	if / when I should prefer
Tú — you, singular informal	prefirieres	if / when you should prefer
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	prefiriere	if / when he / she should prefer; if / when you should prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	prefiriéremos	if / when we should prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	prefiriereis	if / when you should prefer (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	prefirieren	if / when they should prefer; if / when you should prefer (plural)

• Quien prefiriere otra opción podrá indicarlo. — Whoever should prefer another option may state it.

Preferir present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya preferido	that I have preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas preferido	that you have preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya preferido	that he / she has preferred; that you have preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos preferido	that we have preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis preferido	that you have preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan preferido	that they have preferred; that you have preferred (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas preferido venir con nosotros. — I am glad that you preferred to come with us.

Preferir past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera preferido	that I had preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras preferido	that you had preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera preferido	that he / she had preferred; that you had preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos preferido	that we had preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais preferido	that you had preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran preferido	that they had preferred; that you had preferred (plural)

• Si hubiera preferido el tren, habría comprado otro billete. — If I had preferred the train, I would have bought another ticket.
• Si hubieses preferido otra fecha, podríamos haberla cambiado. — If you had preferred another date, we could have changed it.

Preferir future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle preferido.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere preferido	if / when I should have preferred
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres preferido	if / when you should have preferred
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere preferido	if / when he / she should have preferred; if / when you should have preferred (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos preferido	if / when we should have preferred
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis preferido	if / when you should have preferred (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren preferido	if / when they should have preferred; if / when you should have preferred (plural)

• Si hubieren preferido una alternativa distinta, deberán comunicarlo. — If they should have preferred a different alternative, they must report it.

Preferir imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The project includes an exhortative nosotros/nosotras row, built from the present subjunctive, alongside the standard imperative persons.

Preferir affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	prefiere	prefer
Usted — you, singular formal	prefiera	prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	prefiramos	let’s prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	preferid	prefer (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	prefieran	prefer (plural)

• Prefiere la opción que mejor se adapte a tus necesidades. — Prefer the option that best suits your needs.

Preferir negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no prefieras	do not prefer
Usted — you, singular formal	no prefiera	do not prefer (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no prefiramos	let’s not prefer
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no prefiráis	do not prefer (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no prefieran	do not prefer (plural)

• No prefieras la rapidez a la seguridad. — Do not prefer speed to safety.

Common constructions with Preferir

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• preferir algo. — to prefer something.
• preferir A a B. — to prefer A to B.
• preferir + infinitive. — to prefer to do something.
• preferir que + subjunctive. — to prefer that another subject do something.

Example sentences with Preferir

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• Prefiero caminar. — I prefer to walk.
• ¿Prefieres esta mesa o aquella? — Do you prefer this table or that one?
• Preferimos el tren al autobús. — We prefer the train to the bus.
• Prefiero que vengas mañana. — I prefer that you come tomorrow.
• Siempre he preferido aprender con ejemplos. — I have always preferred learning with examples.
• Prefiere calidad a cantidad. — Prefer quality to quantity.

Regional and usage notes for Preferir

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some common second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos preferís viajar en tren. — You prefer traveling by train. (voseo)
• Preferí la opción más segura. — Prefer the safer option. (affirmative vos command)

For preferir, track two stem changes: prefier- in stressed present forms and prefir- in the third-person preterite, related subjunctives, and gerund. The future and conditional return to the full infinitive.