The lesson states that if the subject is the same in both clauses you would omit que and use the infinitive in the second clause. Why is the subjunctive and not the infinitive used in the following example?
Nosotros preferiríamos que fuésemos al restaurante del centro.
We'd prefer if we all went to the restaurant in the centre.
Hola Devin P.
That’s a really interesting point! The general rule is indeed that when the subject of both verbs is the same, Spanish tends to use the infinitive instead of introducing a second clause with que and the subjunctive. For example: Prefiero comer en casa (“I prefer to eat at home”) instead of Prefiero que yo coma en casa.
However, in your example (Nosotros preferiríamos que fuésemos al restaurante del centro), the subjunctive is used because the action expressed in the second clause is not framed as a simple activity but as a wish involving the whole group collectively. In Spanish, it sounds more natural to use que + subjunctive to express this kind of shared preference, especially with verbs like preferir, querer or desear.
If you said preferiríamos ir al restaurante, that would also be correct, but it would sound more like you’re expressing a personal preference for the action itself. The version with the subjunctive, on the other hand, emphasizes the hypothetical and desired situation: all of us going together.
In short, both are grammatically possible, but the subjunctive construction adds nuance by making the wish or preference feel less direct and more like a proposed situation.
So while the infinitive keeps the sentence simpler, the subjunctive is often chosen when the speaker wants to highlight the idea of a shared or hypothetical preference.
¡Que pases una buena semana!
Silvia
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